Stuck
by SummerParamour
Summary: Cat Black always had a closed mind, a single idea of how the world worked. Then, she met an odd man with a little blue box who proved her wrong, and taught her that the things she once thought impossible were instead just a bit unlikely. 10/OC post S4
1. A Big Blue Box

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own anything Doctor Who. Cat's mine, though, so don't steal her. Seriously, that would be really hard because she's… Well, she's Cat, and she's good at kicking and screaming. Riley's the same. You can take Mrs. O'Connor, I don't care about her. **

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><p>The bell on the door chimed dully as I stepped into the little coffee shop in the middle of St. Francis, a small town about a half an hour north of Minneapolis. I didn't live there, but my place was only a fifteen minute drive away, so it wasn't exactly a strenuous journey. In fact, I came here rather often. I did so enjoy the company. I might go so far as to say that I'd die without it. Then again, it would probably be the death of me.<p>

As I crossed the threshold and the bell stopped, the few people in the small front room glanced in my direction and then went back to their laptops, or magazines, or whatever. The only person how paid me any extra attention was Riley, who was currently working as the barista.

"You're early," She mumbled as I reached the counter.

I threw her a fake smile. "You know me," I whispered. "Very proactive."

A bark of laughter escaped from her perfect, pink lips, attracting the momentary attention of a few of the customers. "You're just here to rub you're relaxation in my face." She turned, her perfectly curled hair dancing around her slim shoulders as she picked up a Styrofoam cup and swaggered over to the cappuccino machine.

"Sounds about right." I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket (purses were big, and clunky, and didn't really serve a purpose for me) and tugged a twenty out of the bills spot. "I should get about seventeen dollars back, by the way."

She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me, and I smiled mischievously.

"Just to save us both a good ten minutes of math."

She snorted in a very Riley-like fashion and held out my regular mix of caramel and French vanilla. "I spit in it, just so you know."

I grinned and pushed my black-framed glasses further up on the bridge of my nose. "Twenty minutes, right?"

She nodded. "I got my eye on you." She mumbled as she held out my change.

I accepted it, and then found my feet carrying me across the room to my regular spot, a small round table near the front windows. I set my cappuccino on the surface of the table, and soon followed it with my laptop case (which naturally had my laptop in it). I sat down and glanced at Riley to find that she actually _was_ watching me, as if I was going to start a fire (with good reason, wink-wink).

After throwing her a cheeky smile, I plugged my headphones into their respectable hub. I stuck the buds in my ears and opened my laptop, the login screen immediately popping up. I typed in my password, which happened to be my last name, and smiled at the photograph of me and my nephew that I'd set as my home screen. I pulled open an internet page and logged into my email, sorting through my inbox before reading and replying. I spent a large portion of the time reading through an email from my younger brother.

After what felt like five minutes to me, I saw Riley hanging up her apron behind the counter. With a sigh, I packed up my laptop and chugged the last of my cappuccino. Then, I got to my feet and went to wait for her by the door.

"Thanks for coming with, Cat." She smiled as she sauntered over and pushed open the door. "I don't think I'd be able to reign in my mom on my own."

"What're best friends for?" I asked with a grin.

She rolled her eyes at me. "We're taking your car."

"Why my car?" I already knew the answer, I just wanted to hear her say it. I _loved_ hearing people say it.

"Because your car's cool."

Oh, that was true. I owned a red 1984 Corvette. I bought it cheap because it was on its last leg, and then I'd probably put more money into it than it was worth. Now, don't get me wrong, I was normally very careful with my spending, but I loved that car. Plus, that was the beauty of a _huge _inheritance. If I didn't go crazy, I could treat myself every now and then.

I smirked and pulled my keys out of my pocket. I quickly tapped the little button that unlocked the door and hopped in the driver's side. Riley was soon beside me, tossing her little pink handbag into the back seat.

"I'm so excited!" She squealed as she bounced around in her seat.

I groaned. "I'll be dead by the end of this."

She shoved me, making me fumble with my key as I tried to shove it into the ignition. "Oh, don't be such a downer!"

"I have to, it's in my job description."

"C'mon," She groaned, giving me her famed puppy-dog look. "As a wedding gift?"

"I already bought you a blender."

"Cat!"

"Oh, alright…" I groaned, turning around the back out of the small parking lot. "I could use a new blender, anyways."

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><p>"Oh, I don't like that one very much," Riley's nasally mother said as Riley walked around in a frilly, strapless white wedding gown. "Shows too much skin for a wedding."<p>

I snorted. "Are you kidding?" I put my fingers in my mouth and dog-whistled. Then, I went old school. "Work it, girl!"

Riley giggled, and then posed like a model. Her mother flashed her a disapproving look, and then turned to glare at me.

"Catherine," Mrs. O'Connor snapped at me. "We are in public!"

I grinned. "Oh, look at that, we _are_ in public! Now that we've got a firm grasp of the obvious," I paused for effect, and looked to Riley who was watching our little exchange with an amused smile on her perfect face. "Next dress, Riles."

A small smirk on her lips, she shook her head and retreated to change into the next dress we had line up for her.

Mrs. O'Connor turned to me, a deep-set frown on her aged face. "Catherine, I will _not_ have you spoiling Riley's wedding."

"If anyone is spoiling her wedding, it's you." I crossed my arms.

"You and your little comments are ruining everything!" She seethed.

"If you haven't noticed, she's been smiling at me and my 'little comments.'"

"It's disrespectful and rude-"

"It's _fun_, Mrs. O'Connor. Then again, I suppose the word fun isn't in your dictionary, is it?"

"Fun has no place at a proper wedding," She sneered. "But I suppose _you_ wouldn't know a thing about proper."

"Excuse me?" I growled as I got to my feet, my small hands clenching into fists. I wanted to drop-kick the woman over my back fence. Now that I think about it, I'm sure I could, if I got the chance.

"Oh, please!" She stood as well, and raised her chin. "You're mother's a nice woman, but she doesn't know the first thing about raising children. You and your brothers, the screw-ups that only survived because their father was of high status!"

I shook with acrimony, my teeth clenched and my fists turning an ugly white color. What did she know of my family? She'd only met my mother once or twice, and she hadn't seen Ian or Adam since I was fifteen. She could insult me all she wanted, but my family was out of the question. Especially my mother. No one said things about her. No one.

"Guys, I think this is the one!" Riley squealed as she twirled into the room, her perfect figure wrapped in white silk and lace.

I tore my dark hazel eyes away from Mrs. O'Connor and looked at her, my eyes softening slightly at the smile on her gorgeous face. She looked beautiful. The dress was a wonderful strapless gown with a white bodice and skirt, a single wrap of black silk around her waist.

I glanced at Mrs. O'Connor, who had a triumphant smirk on her arrogant, disgusting face. I looked to Riley one more time. "That one's my favorite." Then, I grabbed my jacket from the chair I'd been sitting in and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Riley called to me.

"Home!" I called back. I felt guilty about leaving in the middle of one of the happiest moments of her life, but I couldn't _stand_ her mother.

I quickly weaved through the small amount of customers in the bridal shop and out the door into the street, barely nodding at the attendant as she told me to have a nice day. When I reached my car, which was parked about ten spots from the shop, I unlocked the door and hopped in, making a point of slamming it shut again.

I took a deep breath and rubbed at my teary eyes. I shook my head, and then shoved my key in the ignition. I sighed blissfully when the engine purred to life, making my seat vibrate gently. Oh, what a sweet, sweet sound. Normally, I would've drowned it out with loud alternative music, but I wanted to listen to it today. And I did, all the way home.

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><p>My keys made a clinking sound as I tossed them into a bowl I'd laid out on my kitchen counter for them years ago. I walked past the machine for my home phone on my way to the refrigerator and pressed the messages button.<p>

"Two new messages." The feminine voice of the machine blurted.

"Cat, it's your brother," My elder brother Ian, judging by the voice. Well, there was also the fact that my younger brother used his phone calls to talk to my mother and his girlfriend, but I ignored that. "Could you take Nicky for a couple of days? Morgan and I have an emergency business meeting in Chicago next week. I know it's sudden but… Um, just give me a call when you get a chance. My cell phone, you know the drill. Talk to you soon, I hope."

As the message played, I fished my milk out of the fridge and twisted the cap off, taking a large gulp before twisting the cap back on and putting it back on the top shelf. I rolled my eyes. "You really should be more proactive, Ian," I smirked. "Like me."

"Hey, it's me," Riley's voice played now. "Um, I was just wondering what happened? You know, at the bridal shop. Just… Um, just sorry if my mom said something. I know she does that. And thanks for coming. I ended up buying that dress, the one you said was your favorite." Good, at least she took my opinion to heart. "Dave and I are still doing that movie on Monday, and we're expecting you to come. So you better show your ugly mug! Just kidding, you're gorgeous. Well… Bye…?"

I chuckled at Riley's odd teasing. That's why she was my best friend; She knew how to make me laugh. Still, the laughter wasn't enough to make me feel any better. I was tired. That shouting match with Mrs. O'Connor had taken its toll, and to add to it some kid had screwed up my order when I'd stopped at McDonald's that afternoon.

Rubbing my eyes beneath my glasses, I grabbed the phone on the counter and dialed Ian's cell. As always, he picked up on the third ring.

"Ian Black."

"I know who I'm calling, you idiot."

"Oh, Cat, good to hear from you," He cleared his throat and I rolled my eyes. "I sure hope you're not teaching my son that kind of disrespect."

"What's this about me taking Nicky?" I asked, ignoring his last comment as I leaned against the counter.

"Oh, you can take him for a few days, can't you?" He sounded hopeful.

"Sure, you know me," I smirked. "I'm always up for a few days with my favorite nephew."

"He's your _only_ nephew."

"Hence my favorite," I mumbled. "Plus, if Adam and Maddy keep going like they are, I'll hopefully have a niece soon."

Ian chuckled on the other end of the line. "I'll bring him around on Wednesday, say nine-ish?"

"You got it, and how long will I have that little brat running around my house?" I used the term brat lightly, seeing as I was a brat at one point in time.

"We land back home late Thursday, so we'll drop by on Friday."

"Alright, anything I need to know?"

He was quiet for a moment, probably thinking of an answer. "Well, he's got this ship…"

The rest of Ian's words drowned out of my mind as I looked out the large window that led to my back yard. The sun was setting, but I could see a large, blue shape near the back of the yard. If I squinted, I could see two glass windows near the top, but all of the other details couldn't be made out by my bad eyes.

"Cat, are you listening?" Ian's voice broke through to my mind.

"See you on Wednesday."

"Cat, what-"

I never found out what he was going to say because I hung up on him and stared at the odd object in my back yard for a moment. After staring in absolute bewilderment for several seconds, I took the initiative and set the phone on the counter. I paced out of the kitchen and into my large living room. There was a glass sliding-door in there that led to my yard.

When I reached it, I flipped the lock and slid the door open, stepping outside onto my large patio. The sun had nearly disappeared behind my white picket fence, but there was still a bit of light. Seeing as it was the middle of summer, my tank top was enough to keep me at least decently warm.

Slowly, I shuffled towards the giant blue thing, the green grass tickling my feet gently.

I'd seen things like it in movies before. It looked like a phone box, the kind you'd find on the streets of London, only it was blue and the only glass was the two small windows. There was a little light on the top, like a police light, too. However, the most informing part (also the last thing I looked at) was the black plaque near the roof of it.

"Police Public Call Box?" I asked myself, reading the sign at the top. My eyes floated to the white sign on the door of the box. "'Police telephone'," I read. "'Free for use of public, advice and assistance available immediately. Officers and cars respond to urgent calls. Pull to open.'"

My eyes shifted to the black handle on the door opposite the sign. My lips felt dry, so I licked them, and then set my hand on the handle. I sucked in a breath, and then tugged on the door. It made a loud noise, but otherwise nothing happened. I let the breath out, and shrugged. Quickly, I turned and strode purposefully back to the still open sliding door. I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me, and heading for my bedroom.

Little did I know that, as I began climbing the stairs, the doors opened and a head popped out, scanning the yard before retreating back inside.

What had started out a long day had just gone to a long, odd day.

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><p><strong>AN: So, this is my first official Doctor Who story. I used a lot of aspects from **_**my**_** personal life to build up Cat's. Such as where she lives. It's the same area as my favorite aunt and uncle, who I visit rather often. There's also her best friend, Riley. Riley is the name of one of my best friends, although she's not quite as odd as Cat's Riley. Well, she is, but she's still a lot different from my character. **

**So, this is just sort of an introduction chapter. Y'know, meet Cat and learn a _tiny_ bit about her. The next chapter will introduce the Doctor, and you'll find out how he works into the story. I'm gonna tell you know, this isn't one of those stories about the Doctor and a miscellaneous companion. He doesn't save her from a mugger or anything, and he _deffinetly_ doesn't take her to travel through time and space.  
><strong>

**Anyways, I have big hopes for this story. I've got so many plans, so many ideas, and I'm hoping to be able to share them all. **

**It's been a long time since I posted anything, and I've sort of forgotten what things to say in and author's note. So, I'm thinking this is as far as I'm going to go at the current time. More things will probably pop up next chapter, so… Yeah, we'll see. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Jazmine**


	2. The Doctor with Odd Eyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Doctor Who, but I do own Cat. She's mine.**

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><p>"Bugger!"<p>

My eyes flew open, giving me a blurry, one-eyed view of my large bedroom. I could feel my heart beating loudly in my throat, and my stomach was churning. That was a voice. I heard a voice. That was a voice, right? Of course it was! I may be odd, but insane is something I'm not.

Quickly, I flung my comforter off of my small frame and tried to run to my window. I say 'tried' because I ended up tripping on the leg of my nightstand due to my lack of eyewear. After falling flat on my face, I quickly scrambled back to my feet and grabbed for the black blob on my nightstand. Once the glasses were on my nose, I rushed to the window and gazed out at the Police Box.

It was still there, as I'd expected, but there was something else. Something tall. And it was moving. I could just make out limbs moving around in the darkness. This must've been the person who had yelled. A man going by the shape of the form and the voice.

I swallowed against my dry throat, as if that would help the sick feeling in my stomach. Then, on a sudden whim, I snatched my favorite sweater from my messy floor and pulled it over my head. I ran out of my room, tripping on my own feet. I ran past the doors that led to my deck and down the staircase, careful to slow down as to keep myself from falling. At the bottom of the stairs, I made a U-turn and made a beeline for the sliding doors. When I reached them, I paused. What if the man was dangerous? What if he was armed?

I looked around me, desperately searching for something I could use as a weapon. After considering a fork, my TV remote, and an umbrella, I sighed. I could spare the extra minute to run to the kitchen and get a large knife.

My feet carried me past the bathroom and turned left into my kitchen. I had a better view of the Police Box from here, and I could see the man a bit clearer as well. He was indeed tall, and it looked like he was wearing a dress. Then again, the view wasn't spectacular, and I could have easily been mistaken.

I shook my head and snatched the biggest cutlery knife I owned before running back into the living room. Yes, I know the rule about running with knives, but there was a strange, tall, possibly cross-dressing man in my backyard with the big, blue Police Box that appeared out of nowhere. If you were me, would you have cared about the danger of running with a knife in your hand? I didn't think so.

I reached the sliding-door quickly, and quietly pulled the doors open. I silently stepped out onto the patio, backing up to the side of my house in order to be hidden in the shadows. I held my breath subconsciously as I inched towards the edge of my hiding spot, my hands shaking. The night was chilly, and I was glad I'd worn my sweater. However, even my giant sweater wasn't big enough to cover my legs, which were clad in my Batman sleep shorts.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" The man grumbled, kicking the Police Box with a gray trainer-clad foot.

Hiding in the shadows, I listened intently to the man. Maybe he'd say something helpful, like why he was in my back yard.

"What's wrong?" He pulled a stethoscope out of the inside pocket of his overcoat (it wasn't a dress, my bad), and I immediately thought one thing: What the hell? Who carries a stethoscope in their pocket? And where do you get an overcoat with pockets _big enough_ to carry a stethoscope?

I shook my head and listened again.

"Nothing? Really?" He asked as he placed the round piece against the wood of the Police Box. "Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

He was treating it like it was alive. It was wood, it couldn't be alive. So, I came to a conclusion.

I had an insane man in my back yard.

I had an insane man in my back yard talking to a giant, blue Police Box. At that point, I probably should've called the police, but I couldn't help but be curious. In fact, I was so curious that my fear was overridden.

In my reverie, the knife slipped from my sweaty hand and clattered loudly on the stone floor of the patio. To make sure I didn't stab my foot, I jumped away from the knife and out into the faint moonlight.

At the sound, the man jumped and turned around faster than I could say 'help'.

He didn't look dangerous. Maybe a little insane, but never dangerous. The first feature I noticed was the deep brown eyes. But they weren't just brown, they were… different in some way or another. Beneath those odd eyes, I could see the faint traces of bags, as if he was exhausted. His hair was a few shades darker than his eyes, and if I'd known him I would've run over and ran my hands through it. Yeah, it looked that good. It almost seemed to defy the laws of gravity. His high cheekbones cast shadows down his face, pale in the moonlight.

I quickly fumbled to grab the knife from the ground and held it in front of me, trying to seem like a threat. "W-Who are you?"

The man didn't seem scared at all by the knife. Instead, he grinned at me. "I'm the Doctor!" He looked like a child, grinning as it pulled the wrappings off of Christmas presents. "And you are?"

I swallowed the developing lump in my throat. "What kind of a name is the Doctor?"

His expression changed rapidly, and he tucked his hands in his pockets as he looked up in thought. "I'm not really sure, it's a good one, though." He had an accent, easily recognized as British. "And yours would be…?"

"Cat," I took a step back as he paced towards me. "Cat Black."

His strange eyes lit up, the grin reappearing. "Cat? As in Catherine?" This guy was weird.

"Um… Yeah…" I mumbled with a slow nod.

"Oh, that's brilliant!" He walked closer, his long legs carrying him surprisingly far with each stride. When he was close enough to touch me, he reached over and carefully peeled one of my hands from the handle of the knife. He then shook it firmly. "You're brilliant, really, you are! I'm a _huge_ fan!"

Alright, murderers and rapists don't shake your hand. With that in my mind, I reluctantly lowered the knife and stared at him. "Um, a fan of what?"

The smile on his angular face fell, and he quickly released my hand. He looked past me at my house. "What's the date?"

It took my brain a moment to register the sudden change of topic, and another moment to actually come up with the answer to his question. "July 16th."

He looked slightly impatient. "And the year?"

Alright, he was an insane hermit. "2011."

"Oh…" His face pinched and he made the sort of sound that comes out of your mouth when you're in excruciating pain and you're trying to be quiet about it. I hadn't nicked him with the knife, had I? "Not published yet, then."

I glanced down at the knife, and then realized what he'd said. "What do you mean 'not published'?" I asked as I furrowed my brow.

"Nothing!" He yelped. "Is that your house? Let's have a look." He slipped past me, towards the sliding-door. "Come along, Catherine!"

I sneered and followed. "It's Cat!" Everyone called me Cat, and they were smart to do so. I hated my name, always had.

He didn't reply as he disappeared inside. I ran after him. Even I wasn't stupid enough to let an insane man run around my house unsupervised. I found him running about my living room, peeking under pillows and looking behind odd things, like my TV.

"I suppose I should've known it was pre-2014," He mumbled as he fell onto his stomach, looking under my couch. "I mean, this obviously isn't China."

"China?"

He froze, and then looked back at me. He hopped to his feet. "Me and my big mouth," He grinned. "Forget I said anything. I need a bowl." He spun on his heel and sauntered into my kitchen. Upon hearing my cupboards opening and my kitchen-ware clattering, I rushed after him.

"Is that _thing_ yours?" I asked as I glanced out the window.

He didn't seem to hear me. "Where do you keep your bowls?" He asked as he looked to me, an expression of confusion plastered to his face.

"Um…" I blinked and shook my head. "First cupboard on the right."

He rushed to said cupboard and pulled it open. I normally had to stand on my tippy-toes to look in my cupboards, but I was rather short. He had to be _at least_ six feet, I was only five-five.

As he rummaged, I spoke again. "Is it yours?"

"Yeah, it's mine!" He flashed a grin my way. "Sorry, by the way. I normally land her on street corners and things like that. Didn't really have control of it this time." He pulled one of my Tupperware bowls out and flipped it over in his hands before discarding it onto my counter.

I caught one word that didn't make any sense. "Wait, did you say 'land'?"

"Yes, land." He snorted, as if I were asking a question with an obvious answer. "Did you think I _pushed_ her here?" He pulled out a stack of bowls and tossed them onto the counter beside the other one he'd set there. Finally, he pulled out the biggest plastic bowl I owned. "Aha, perfect!" It was then that he ran past me again.

I groaned and turned to follow, setting the knife on my kitchen table on the way out. He was odd, but I didn't think he was going to hurt me. Especially if he shook my hand and asked to borrow a bowl. He owed me.

He sprinted out of the door and across the yard to the Police Box.

I stopped at the door. I needed a moment to think. This had been the weirdest night of my life, and I needed to sort through everything that was going on.

I thought about this Doctor. Many of the things he'd said tonight hadn't made much sense, like that whole thing about China and 'not published yet'. He acted as if he'd heard my name before, too. I suppose he could know me because of Black Sky, but that seemed highly unlikely. I wasn't on the pay roll, I didn't even work there, that was Ian's thing.

I shook my head and stepped outside, wrapping myself in my arms as I began to cross the yard. The door of the Police Box was ajar, even though it had been locked or stuck or something earlier in the night. I didn't know if he'd left it like that to suggest that I follow, or if he'd just been in such a rush he hadn't closed it properly.

I stopped again as I reached it. What could he be doing in there? It was far too small for him to be doing anything productive, and it definitely wouldn't help if I followed.

Suddenly, his head popped out, that silly child-like grin in place. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come in?"

I blinked, and my glasses slid down my nose. "Um… I -I don't know…"

His brown eyes rolled in their sockets and his arm appeared, reaching towards me. He grabbed the loose material of my sweater and threw the door open, pulling me inside.

"Won't it be really…?" I trailed off as I saw the space before me. "Cramped…?"

My jaw dropped, and he chuckled and spun away.

It wasn't like I'd pictured. It was too big, and too bright to be like I pictured. I'd imagined a small, dark area with a telephone and nothing else, but this was… wow. It was a huge, round, domed room with walls made of metal plates. The plates were fixed with what looked like lights. The Doctor's overcoat hung on one of the five or six odd, wavy structures supporting the ceiling. They reminded me a bit of dead tree trunks, only metal and a bit squarer. Cords and cables hung from the supports and ran the perimeter of the room, but all of them connected to the odd thing in the middle of it all.

The metal grates beneath our feet clanged dully as the Doctor hopped the three steps in a single bound, leaving him about five feet from the thing at the room's core. "What do you think?"

I looked around in awe. "I think I'm going insane."

He grinned at me and dropped to one knee, his long fingers wrapping around the mesh metal. With a single tug, the grate lifted from its place in the floor and he set it aside. He swung his legs around and slowly lowered himself into the hole left behind. "Come here, would you?"

I cautiously made my way up the staircase, and then sat down Indian style beside the hole the Doctor stood in.

He set the Tupperware bowl down on the side of the hole opposite me and thrust a pile of wires and cords in my arms. "Hold this for a few moments, would you?"

I looked down at the cords. "Are they safe? I mean, I'm not going to get electrocuted, right?"

He snorted and bent down. "No." He might've been kneeling, but I couldn't see that far into the hole. He thrust his arms into the odd metal pieces and rubber-coated wires beneath the grates. After a few moments, he pulled his arms back, an odd, blue-ish liquid coating all of the fingers on his left hand. "Ooh, that doesn't bode well."

I leaned forward slightly. "What is that?"

He pulled a pair of black-framed glasses from a pocket on the inside of his jacket and set them on the bridge of his nose before mumbling a string of long words that I didn't know in an extremely quick manor. Even if I had recognized the words, I don't think I would've heard enough of them to make sense of what he'd said.

"What?"

He looked up at me and opened his mouth to explain, but hesitated for a moment. He smiled. "Ha, we match." He fiddled with his glasses.

I felt myself smile faintly. "So, what's that stuff?"

"It's sort of like oil, only… better."

Oh, I understood that. "And why's it covering your fingers?"

He rubbed his thumb against the oil-covered fingers. "It's leaking," He frowned. "It's not supposed to leak. It's never leaked before. Hand me the bowl?"

I looked down at the pile of cords in my arms, and then said the most childish thing I'd said in days. "You're closer."

He smirked at me, and then grabbed the bowl. He ducked down again, his arms disappearing once more as his lips thinned. He was focusing completely on whatever he was doing.

As I sat back and looked around the room again, a yawn escaped my lips. I'd probably lost a good hour of sleep due to this man. I, being extremely lazy, would have to make up that hour. Oh, he _really_ owed me now.

"All done!" He clapped his hands together, making me jump roughly a foot in the air. "You can drop those." He nodded to the cords and wires.

I let them slip from my arms and got to my feet. "Do you need me for anything else?"

"Nah," He shook his head, removing his glasses and returning them to his pocket. "That should be good for now."

I nodded. "In that case, I'm gonna go back to bed," I rubbed my eyes beneath my glasses. "You're not going anywhere, are you?"

"Nope," He grumbled as he pulled himself out of the hole and stood with his hands in his pockets. "I'm kind of stuck. Why?"

"I expect you can give me an explanation for… this." I looked around the room. "Anyways, good night. Well, no, I guess it's good morning now…"

He chortled. "Pleasure meeting you, Catherine." He held his hand out.

I grabbed his hand. "It's Cat."

He smiled. "No, it's Catherine."

That was the third time he said my name, but it was the first time that I actually listened. The way he said it, there was no E. I found that I rather liked the way he said my name. Damn British accent.

I sighed. "Whatever, night."

"Good night."

As I left the Police Box, I felt his eyes on me. Those odd, odd eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, this is a long chapter. Compared to my rough draft, this is really detailed and a lot better. However, the chapter was getting so long with all of the added details that I had to cut a bit off. I'll be adding that to the scene I set up for the next chapter, though, seeing as it's sort of important. **

**So, the Doctor is here. Are you happy? I am. I think he turned out rather in character. See, I've got a bit of a problem with complicated characters, but I'm doing my best with the Doctor. In fact, the rough draft was so out of character that I made **_**Cat**_** OOC. You know it's bad when you're screwing up your own original character.**

**Anyways, I realize I'm posting this rather early. I was just so excited, and I wanted to get it to you as fast as I could. I've read a couple of stories where the author has to **_**apologize**_** for **_**not posting on time**_**. How can that happen? If you really love what you're writing, you'll put it up as fast as your self-restraint will let you! That's my case, at least.**

**So, I hope you enjoyed. I know you're all waiting for him to go crazy and shout "ALLONS-Y!", like I was while writing this. I'm just gonna warn you right now, that doesn't show up until almost the end of the story. No, I didn't forget, it just never seemed like the right time. Anyways, most of the odd, unexplained things the Doctor said will be clarified next chapter. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Jazmine**


	3. Time Travel

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Doctor or the TARDIS… Or Beauty and the Beast's library! **

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><p>The sun was shining through the kitchen window and down onto me. We'd been sitting here for the past half hour. He kept trying to explain things to me, and I kept dumbing them down. I knew I was frustrating him, but he was frustrating me. He was using big, galactic, outer-space words that I didn't understand. So, if you think about it, he wasn't really explaining anything at all. When he did manage to put things in terms I understood, though, I learned a lot. Apparently, the Police Box was a space ship. Oh, and he was an alien.<p>

Yeah, like I was going to believe that.

"Alright," I mumbled as I leaned against the counter, staring across it at the Doctor. "You're telling me that _thing_ is a _time_ _machine_?"

"I prefer TARDIS, but yeah." The Doctor replied, sipping from the mug of coffee I'd made him.

"And it's broken?"

He groaned and threw his head back, running his large hand over his face. "I've already told you, _she's_ not broken, she just won't move."

I scoffed. "And I was just starting to believe that you _weren't_ insane."

He perked up. "Oh, but I am." He smirked and leaned across the counter. "Just enough that most people call it brilliance." He winked and made an oddly sexy clicking sound with his tongue.

One of my eyebrows jumped. "So now you're brilliant?"

"Well, I have been using words you don't understand…" He leaned back again, sliding the mug that was only half empty away from him.

"You could be a mechanic." I suggested as I grabbed the mug and emptied its contents into the sink. "I don't know anything about that sort of stuff. Easy lie for you."

He shook his head. "Trust me, I'm the cleverest person you know."

Not from what I'd seen. I mean, he may have been smart, but that didn't mean he was clever. "You don't seem clever."

An amused look flashed across his face. "The ones who truly are never seem so."

"That sounds like a quote."

He smiled. "Feel free to use that in your book."

The slight smile that had subconsciously been on my face fell in less than a second. How did he know about my book? I hadn't told him. I hadn't even mentioned it. I knew he hadn't talked to my friends or family about it because they all would've thought he was a publisher of some sort and called to inform me about it. It was impossible.

"How do you know about my book?"

He froze, realizing his mistake, and stared at me. I could practically see the steam blowing out of his ears as his mind worked. Then, suddenly, he got to his feet. "C'mon, I need to show you something."

I stepped in front of him, blocking his path as he tried to leave the kitchen. "Stop trying to change the subject." I frowned up at him. "How do you know about my book?"

He stared down at me, a blank look on his angular face. "Come with me, and _I'll show you_." He held his hand out, his eyes firmly locked on mine.

It was odd seeing him so serious. For the little amount of time I'd been with him, he was always smiling or talking fast, but not now. Now he seemed as if he'd bite my head off if I cracked a joke.

Reluctantly, I set my hand in his. I was surprised to find it was rather warm and soft, but I could feel the calluses on certain points. Like the one on the tip of his right thumb. I found myself welcoming him when his fingers wiggled their way between mine.

I smiled faintly as he pulled me out of the kitchen, through the living room, and into the back yard. "You know, that whole thing with the hand was really cheesy."

He smirked. "Well, it worked, didn't it?" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Plus, you're an author, you love cheese."

"Not always," I pointed out as he released my hand and reached into the same pocket he kept his glasses in. When his hand reappeared, he held a key. He pushed it into the lock on the door and twisted it as I finished. "I can't stand pepper-jack."

He grinned at me. "Oh, that was good." He pulled the key out of the lock and pushed the door open. "Very witty."

I smirked. "Yeah, I know."

With a roll of his eyes, he latched onto my hand again and tugged me through the door, into the large room I'd been in the day before. He pulled me up the stairs to the large, metal thing in the center of it all that he'd called the Console.

He released my hand again. "You see this room," He mumbled as he looked up and around. "Well, there's more."

"What?"

"I said there's-"

"I heard." I interrupted. "How's that possible?"

"Same way this is possible." He waved his arm, gesturing to the room. He looked down at me, a cocky grin on his face. "The TARDIS is bigger on the inside."

"TARDIS," I mumbled. "Is that just what it's called or is it short for something?"

"Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. T-A-R-D-I-S."

My mouth formed an O and I looked around. After admiring the beauty of the room, I looked to the Doctor again. "So, there's more?"

He stared at me absently for a moment, as if he was pretending to listen to me. "Oh, right, c'mon!" Once again, our hands were locked in a sweaty grip. His hand was a bit too warm. Just a bit, though.

He pulled me around the Console, his mouth working at a thousand miles a minute. I wasn't really listening, though. I was just watching him. He was talking about time or something like that, and he seemed so… alive. I'd never seen someone so excited just while _talking_. Especially about something as stupid as time. Then again, he was a rather odd man.

"Here we are!"

That exclamation brought me out of my mind, and I looked around at my surroundings. We were in a hallway. A really, really long hallway. And when I say long, I don't mean twenty feet, I mean as far as the eye could see. There were thousands of doors on the two walls that seemed to stretch forever, too. They were all the same. Same color, same shape (it wouldn't have surprised me if there were a door in the shape of a triangle in here), same everything. Not even a plaque to tell them apart.

"How does this explain anything?" I asked, looking away from the endless hallway and to the Doctor. "How does this explain how you know about my book?"

He looked confused for a moment. "Oh, no, we're not there yet, this is just the more I was telling you about." He grinned. "The explanation is-" He paused. "Fifteenth door on the right." He flashed me that grin again and swung our connected hands. "Shall we?"

"We shall." I mumbled, and, deciding to take the offensive this time, _I _pulled_ him_. I counted the doors we passed under my breath, only stopping when I counted to fifteen. "You wanna open it, or can I?"

"Be my guest." He let go of my now sweaty hand and took a step back, folding his hands behind him.

I glanced at him one last time before stepping up and grabbing the doorknob. Normally, I would've hesitated with something like this, but I wasn't scared. If the Doctor wanted to show me whatever it was to explain how he knew about my book, it couldn't possibly be anything dangerous. Right?

I licked my lips out of nervous habit, and then pulled the door open.

My jaw dropped.

The Doctor, a confident smile on his speckled face, stepped forward. "Welcome to my library."

This wasn't a library. This was heaven. Well, no, technically it _was_ a library, but when I died and went up to hang with Jesus, this is exactly what I expected heaven to look like. It was big enough to be heaven. And it was _definitely_ shiny enough. It reminded me a bit of the library in Beauty and the Beast. Shelf after shelf of books, all different colors and sizes. The shelves themselves were painted white and gold and reached the ceiling that was at least thirty feet about my head, if not more. There were several staircases and walkways, leading to all of the different shelves.

I stepped further into the library with a shocked, amazed look on my face, the Doctor hot on my heels. "How many are there?" I asked. "Books, I mean. And why is there a pool?" I looked back at him.

"Thousands. And the pool, I'm not sure. It's just where the TARDIS put it is all." He smiled at me softly. "You like Shakespeare, right?" He walked past me, turning around to walk backwards as to keep looking at me.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Then c'mon!" He groaned, turning around and sprinting to the staircase on the far left.

I chased after him as he easily took the stairs three at a time, eventually making it to the first of three balconies that ran the perimeter of the room. I followed him a small ways around the balcony, and he stopped at a sliding ladder.

"The TARDIS organizes them by time," He told me, sliding the ladder back towards me a couple feet. "The oldest texts are on the left and get younger as you move to the right. This," He set his left foot on the bottom rung of the ladder. "Is the 1620s."

He kept talking, but his voice faded as he climbed, and I eventually stopped listening. Instead, I pulled a random book from the shelf and looked at the cover. I couldn't read the title because it was in French or something, but I saw something bright and colorful poking out of the top. I was pretty sure books in the 1620s didn't have colorful pictures, so I decided to check it out. I opened the book, and saw the cover of a Superman comic. Either that was a bookmark, or the Doctor had a secret hobby.

"Catherine, catch!"

I frowned. "What are you-?" My eyes widened as I looked up and saw a large, brown book falling towards me. I dropped the book with the comic in it and caught the falling one, which almost threw me onto my backside. As I looked down at the book, the Doctor slid down the rails of the ladder, landing with a thump beside me.

"What do you think?" He asked, leaning against my shoulder to look at the cover of the book with me.

I stared at the cover. There were no words on it, so I looked at the spine. When I read what few words were there, I froze. "It's the First Folio…" I mumbled. "That's impossible… You have a copy of the First Folio…"

He grinned and reached around me, flipping a few of the pages to the picture of Shakespeare himself. "That's not all," He grinned at me, pressing the tip of his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He did that a lot, I wasn't sure why. "Take a look."

I looked at the page, and all of the air escaped my lungs. There was a signature scribbled beneath the picture in blotchy black ink.

"No." I looked over my left shoulder at him. "No way."

Crow's Feet wrinkles formed at the edges of his eyes and his eyes connected with mine. "Yes way."

I grinned and looked down at the signature again. That was Shakespeare's _personal signature_, which was amazing in and of itself.

I released an amazed breath. "Wow…"

He grabbed the book, carefully closing it and setting it on one of the rungs of the ladder. Then, he looked down at the book on the floor. Returning his gaze to me, he raised an eyebrow.

I smirked at him. "A Superman fan, are you?"

He smirked right back at me. "What's wrong with the _man of steel_?"

I chuckled. "Nothing."

He nodded defiantly. "Exactly, now onto what I wanted to show you."

My eyebrows jumped. "There's more?" I asked as he grabbed my hand again.

"Yup!" He called as he pulled me back to the staircase and up to the second balcony. We practically ran about a fourth of the way around, and then came to an abrupt stop. He immediately began searching through the shelf before us. "This is the 2010s…" He mumbled, finally pulling out a book. "And this book is yours."

My knees shook as the Doctor held a book out, holding a hand in front of the title and cover art. However, at the bottom of the cover, I could see my name printed in large black letters. Catherine Black.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I go by Cat." I gasped. "I decided that I'd put Cat Black on my books, not Catherine."

He was serious again. No smile, just eyes. Eyes that bore into mine with an intensity that I almost had to look away. "Apparently you change your mind."

"How do you know it's me? Black isn't an uncommon name. It could be another Catherine Black." I pointed out.

His chin dipped and his gaze actually _did_ make me look away. "You know it's not."

He was right, I did know. I had a feeling that it was me. A strong, sickening feeling in my gut that told me. I just didn't want to believe it. However, with one last look at the Doctor's oddly serious face, I had to believe it.

"It's not even finished yet." I shook my head, taking a deep breath. "How could you possibly have it?"

His eyebrows popped up, but the serious look remained. "Believe in time travel yet?"

I took a shaky breath, and slowly reached out to take the book, but he quickly shoved it back into its space on the shelf.

"That would be cheating." He mumbled.

My hand dropped back to my side, and I thought back to all of the odd things he said the day before. "'Not published yet, then'…" I quoted him. "That's what you said. And all of that stuff about being my fan…"

He suddenly broke out in a huge smile, and I was glad it was back. The serious Doctor had been scaring me a little bit. "Knew you'd be clever." He clapped his hand against my shoulder. "Any questions?"

I sighed and looked up at him. "Tons."

"Tomorrow morning, then." He turned me around and wheeled me towards the door.

"What, why tomorrow?" I asked, digging my heels into the floor. "Why not now?"

As he pushed me through the library, he smiled down at me. "Time travel's a lot to take in, so I'm going to give you some time. Write, read, watch TV, I don't care. Just relax until tomorrow." He pushed me out the door, and then shut the door behind him. "Just think."

I sighed. "Alright," I nodded. "What are you gonna do with the rest of your day?"

He tucked his hands away in his pockets and stared down at me. "Oh, I'll mull around the TARDIS," He patted the wall. "Try to figure out why she won't leave."

"Okay, then I'll just leave you to it. Tomorrow." I stuck my hand out.

He grabbed it, shaking it gently. "Tomorrow." He agreed with a slight smile.

I nodded, slowly removing my hand from his, and turned away. I began walking down the hallway, feeling the Doctor's eyes on me still.

"Catherine!"

I stopped and turned around.

He smirked at me. "The Console Room is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction I was going, and I immediately began blushing furiously.

"Right, thanks," I mumbled, my head down as I passed him. "See you later."

"See you."

And then I left the hallway, leaving the Doctor to mull around the TARDIS.

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah, so, I realize I should've updated this a few days ago, and I'm sorry. I've got a lot going on right now, what with school and the moving of one of the best friends I've ever had/MOST AMAZING PERSON EVER! Plus, my family's planning a trip to Florida for next week, so we've got to mentally prepare ourselves for that. I've never been in a plane. Yeah, it's a bit sad, but I'm looking forward to the experience. **

**Anyways, I like this chapter, but it could've been better. I feel like there were a few sections where the Doctor got a _tiny_ bit out of character, but it was otherwise fine when I went over it. I originally forgot to put the pool in the library, so I had to go back and add that in. That's why that bit may seem a bit... off.  
><strong>

**Oh, almost forgot. At the current time, I'm having a bit of trouble with my "beta-reader". I've sent her a few chapters, and she hasn't been responding. I don't blame her for it, I did the same thing a while back. But, I really need someone to read those chapters over for me. I just can't get all of the mistakes on my own. I was just wondering if anyone out there would care to read said chapters over for me. I'm not saying I'll send you the chapters now, but I'll send them before I post them. Y'know, don't wanna spoil anything. **

**To my two reviewers, thank you for your lovely opinions! and animemonkey13, your comments were read and enjoyed... several times. Seriously, it's nice to know that a few people out there are enjoying it so far. I'm just hoping not to disapoint.**

**So, on that note, I think I'll leave. Let you get on with your life. Y'know, that sort of thing. Bye! :)  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Jazmine**


	4. Learning and Stories Go Hand in Hand

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, or Harry Potter.**

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><p>It was kind of early. Not early for me, but on a normal person's time measurements, it was decently early. Eight o'clock, at least an hour before the average unemployed person wakes up. I was normally awake by now, so it wasn't that much of a problem. The Doctor didn't seem bothered by it, either. In fact, he seemed rather awake.<p>

I hadn't seen him since we'd parted ways the day before. I'd tired to work on my book, but found it rather difficult to concentrate with the idea of time travel fresh in my mind. Instead, I'd gone to TV. I'd watched all sorts of shows, from Jersey Shore to Sherlock.

I wasn't sure what the Doctor had done with himself. I assumed that he did as he said and roamed the many rooms of the TARDIS, looking for the problem that was restraining his movements.

We'd been talking over coffee for half an hour. He'd poured packet after packet of sweetener into his mug, and I'd cringed at the thought of coffee that sweet. He seemed to enjoy it, though, so I didn't stop him.

He'd tried to explain things to me, like how time travel worked. It was completely different from Back to the Future. You couldn't change things you'd done, apparently. He'd also tried to explain the TARDIS itself, but hadn't gotten very far because it required the use of a lot of big words. Somehow, in all of that, he'd managed to fit a story or two in there. He told me of when he traveled with a woman named Rose, and how she'd gotten stuck in an alternate dimension. He also told me about a woman named Martha, who'd helped him save an entire hospital from suffocating on the moon.

I snorted when he finished the story. "I find that hard to believe." I mumbled before taking a sip from my mug, which was thankfully not as sweet as the Doctor's.

"Should've seen that coming." He mumbled into his own mug.

"Sorry, but it's impossible," I explained, thinking I had him beat. "There's no air on the moon, you would've suffocated immediately. You wouldn't have had any _time_ to do anything."

"They used an H2O Scoop, you haven't heard of it yet," He stated. "You get it in about… eighty, maybe ninety years. Anyways, it formed a force-field that held the air in, and we eventually used it all up. Can you believe that?"

"Nope."

"God, you're stubborn!" He groaned, running his hand through his fantastic hair.

I nodded, a firm look on my face. "Yeah, I am." I folded my arms across my chest. "So, tell me about the future."

He made that sound again, the one that you made when you were in extreme pain but you didn't want to be public about it. Oh, it's called hissing! He _hissed_. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" I pouted.

"Because," He ran his hand over his face. "Not knowing is part of the fun." He smirked at me.

"Yeah, for you. I prefer to know. Let's me prepare." I flashed him a hopeful look, batting my eyelashes to add to it. I doubt it did anything, but it was worth a try.

His lips thinned and he stared at me, his shoulders tense and his breath held. After a few moments, he released the breath and rubbed his jaw. "What do you wanna know?"

I broke out in an uncharacteristic grin. I'd won, and I _never_ did that. The only time I'd won anything was a writing contest in high school, and that's only because I was one of four that attempted to succeed. Everyone else just plagiarized.

"What's it like?"

His brow furrowed. "What d'you mean?"

I crossed my legs and leaned back against the arm of my sofa. "It's a three word question, and you're so brilliant," I mumbled, a look of amusement flashing on my face. "Shouldn't be too hard to figure out."

He sighed and turned to face me, kicking his feet into my lap. "Same as always," He took a deep breath, gazing at nothing in particular. "Periods of war and peace, new inventions, odd stories."

"War? Hopefully nothing too big." I mumbled as the Doctor raised his mug to his pale lips.

He snorted, carefully removing the mug from his mouth as to not spill coffee on my couch. "Are you kidding, you stupid humans pick a fight with the Draconians in the year 2520. Millions of lives wiped away, and all because you lot mistook their negotiation vessel for a battleship."

I raised my eyebrows. "Sounds like you _really_ don't like us," I mumbled. "Then again, sometimes it seems like you'd marry the human race if you could. What's with that? Do you like us or not?"

He groaned. "I categorize humans into two groups, those with guns and those without. It's the ones with guns that I can't stand."

"And what about the ones without?" I asked, suddenly interested in his view of mankind. I'd never met someone non-human before, so I'd never really heard from a point of view like his.

"Oh, no, the rest of you are brilliant!" A smile formed on his face. "So full of life, so much accomplished despite how young you are. You create order out of chaos, think of things no other species has even dared, all of that in only a few thousand years!"

I smiled. "Speaking of, how long do we last?"

"What?" He seemed surprised that I'd asked such a question.

"Everything dies, Doctor," I explained. "We're only human, we can't last forever."

A look flashed across his face, but it was too brief for me to even try to read it. Then, he smiled. "As far as I know, you do."

"You're kidding, right?"

He shook his head, his fantastic hair bouncing about. "Furthest I've been is the year 100 trillion, and you're still there then."

I blinked. "Wow," I murmured. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Your survival instinct is so much stronger than any other species I've come across, yet you're not afraid to die for the right cause." He grinned. "Makes you the perfect traveling buddies."

"So, you're not normally alone?" I asked. "I imagined that you traveled with others, but not humans. I thought you'd be with other…" I trailed off as I realized that I didn't know what species he was. "What are you?"

He smirked. "Time Lord."

I snorted. "Cocky much? Anyways, I thought you'd travel with them, not us."

"I can't, they're all dead."

I froze, my breath turning to ice in my chest. Did he say they were dead? That couldn't be. He was too happy-go-lucky for the rest of his species to be dead. If I was alone and isolated like that, I would've killed myself. I'd rather be dead and with the rest of the human race than alive and alone. Maybe he was different.

"Dead?" I asked, my voice rather stressed and the breath in my chest still cold and solid.

His face was hard and smooth, as if he was a statue portraying an emotionless man. His lips were set in a firm line, and his eyes, normally so full of emotion, were blank. "They burned." He said slowly, staring into my eyes.

This was worse than when he was being serious. I'd just been a bit scared when he was being serious. Now, I was terrified. This wasn't the Doctor I knew. This Doctor was fire, and pain, and rage. _My_ Doctor was fun, and mystery, and magnificence. But I couldn't find him. No matter how hard I looked, he wasn't there, and I was afraid that he was gone forever.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry…" I mumbled. I would've grabbed his hand, but I was afraid of what he'd do.

He stared at me for a few more moments, the emotionless keeping its wrongful place on his features. Then, he looked away. "Nah," The emotionless lingered for a few moments, and then faded to a much less frightening serious look. "That was a long time ago," He cleared his throat. "I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"Yeah, I am."

I nodded. "I wouldn't be,"

He chuckled dryly. "Of course you wouldn't be, you're both human _and _American." He forced a smile onto his face, most likely for my benefit. "You need people to do more than _half_ of the things you do."

"What's wrong with being American?" I glared.

"You're pompous and too bloody proud."

"Oh, thanks."

He finally grinned, and at my sarcasm nonetheless. "You're welcome."

I rolled my eyes. "Tell me about these 'traveling buddies' of yours, then." I said, poking the trainer-clad foot that still rested in my lap. "You mentioned Rose and Martha, but there had to be more."

"Oh, jeez, tons more." He ran his hand through his hair and looked up in thought. "Let's see, recently there was Rose, Mickey, Donna, Martha, and Jack. Before that there was Sarah Jane, Ace… Ooh, and-"

"Alright, I get it!" I interrupted, a smile on my face. "There were a lot."

"Oh, more than I can count." He groaned.

"So, Rose got trapped in an alternate dimension-"

"Well, then she was here again, but I put her back with meta-crisis me."

I paused for a moment. "Right… What happened to the other four recent ones?"

"Well," He started, laying back and folding his hands across his stomach. "Jack became immortal, Mickey came back from the alternate dimension with Rose but I let him stay here when I returned her, Martha became a Doctor and joined UNIT, and Donna… Donna doesn't remember any of it. She sort of… became me, I guess, and it was killing her, so I had to erase her memory."

I blinked. "Wow,"

"Yeah."

"_Catherine, you've got a text!_"

I jumped as Riley's voice screamed through the house. I'd set that as her text alert a long time ago and had been meaning to change it, but I couldn't seem to do it. It was too… her.

"What the hell was that?" The Doctor asked, looking around.

I sighed and pushed his feet off my lap. "A friend of mine," I mumbled as I got to my feet. "I'll be right back." Then, I walked around the sofa and into the kitchen where my cell was sitting on the counter. I picked it up and found the most recent text, taping the option on the touch screen that pulled it open.

_U better b at the movie and if u rnt I convinced Dave to help me drag u 2 the next showing We're going to dinner afterwards so bring ur wallet_

I rolled my eyes. It was _so_ like Riley to threaten me. It didn't really matter, though, I was planning on going anyways. I'd been wanting to see the new Harry Potter for months (even though it only came out two days before) and seeing it with Riley and Dave would only make it better. Plus, if we were going out to dinner, I was guaranteed a laugh or two.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"Hey, Doctor?" I leaned into the living room.

He twisted to look at me, a curious grin on his face. "Yes, Catherine?"

I smiled. "Do you wanna go to the movies?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, Cat knows a bit more about the Doctor. Funny how he doesn't know anything about her, though. Yeah, I'm keeping things from you guys. If you're clever, you picked up that Cat doesn't have a dad in the first chapter, and that she's an aunt and has at least one brother. If you didn't pick all of that up, well… Now you know, I guess. **

**I hope you're all enjoying it so far. The Doctor seeing the final Harry Potter installment. Should be an interesting scenario. Just wait till you all get to know Riley a bit better. I'm very proud of her. And you'll meet Dave next time. Who is Dave, you ask? Well, I'm not sure if I've told you yet and, if I haven't, I'd like to keep it a secret until next chapter, so you'll just have to go back and look. **

**So, I know this one's a bit short, but bear with me. The next chapter is longer, and most of them maintain at least 2500 words if not more.  
><strong>

**Allons-y! (I just realized that I haven't made him say that, yet.)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Jazmine**


	5. The Doctor, the Drugs, and the Wizard

**Disclaimer: Sadly, neither Doctor Who nor Harry Potter belongs to me… Why can't I own something British…?**

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><p>I was getting annoyed. Music was fine while I was driving, noise was not. And noise is exactly was the Doctor was creating by turning the tuning dial on my radio nonstop. What kind of music did Time Lords like? Pop, hip-hop, alternative, classics? I didn't know, and I honestly didn't care. I just hoped that he'd find something soon so the noise would stop.<p>

Finally, he just turned it off. "Really, this is the worst decade for music fans!" He exclaimed, folding his arms across his chest. "All base and computer sounds…"

"Oh, c'mon, some of it's not that bad." I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the road like a good little driver.

"Are you kidding?" He snorted, smiling at me as if I'd just said something incredibly stupid. "So far you've got Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj."

"Well, yeah, but we've also got Katy Perry and Hot Chelle Rae." I said. "They're both decent. I'm more of an alternative person, though."

"Say whatever you like, but the seventies are always going to be better."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's talk about something else," I risked a glance at him. "Seeing as music clearly upsets you."

He smirked. "Alright, how about your bad driving?"

"That's insulting."

"It was meant to be."

"Well, you're one to talk," I pulled to stop at a red light. I turned to him as cars and trucks started to speed through the intersection. "You don't even have a license."

He pulled a piece of folded over leather out of the pocket in his trench coat and flipped it open, holding it in front of my face. "Wanna bet?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I snatched the thing.

I scanned the white and blue license, taking in the photograph of the Doctor (his was much better than mine) and all of the extra information. Then, I saw the name. "John Smith?" I snorted, tossing the license back at him.

"Hey, I'm very attached to that name." He grinned as he caught the wallet-like-thing. He tucked it back into his pocket. "I've been through a lot as John Smith."

"Yeah, but why not something, I dunno… cooler?" The light turned green and I looked back to the road. "I mean, you could be anyone, why choose _John Smith_?"

"It's generic and won't bring about any suspicion." He explained, as if it were obvious.

"Are you kidding, that's _so_ generic I'm sure it brings about _plenty_ of suspicion."

"Well," He leaned back, a slight smile on his face. "Yeah."

I grinned and shook my head, turning the radio on and setting it to my least favorite station. My least favorite station happened to play 'todays hit music', which was nonstop crap. I could listen to some of it, but I knew the Doctor would hate it, hence why I set it to that station in the first place. I did love making him grumpy.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Well, we didn't talk to each other. Well, no, I didn't talk to him. He mumbled and grumbled, and I'm guessing most of it was directed at me, but I wasn't listening. I was giggling at the music. It's funny how you can fit certain songs into areas of your life, and how many of them work for the Doctor. Songs like ET and I Need a Doctor played, and I couldn't stop laughing.

Finally, we pulled into the theatre parking lot. I parked as close to the building as possible, and then jumped out of the car. The Doctor followed, rubbing his ears.

"Thank God…" He grumbled.

I grinned. "Welcome to 2011, Doctor." Then, I headed across the black tar to the glass doors that lead to the front room of the theatre. I pulled the door open and stepped inside, waiting for the Doctor to catch up. "You've been in a theatre before, right?"

He shot me a look. "I'm a time traveler, Catherine, not a cave man."

"Right, sorry." I mumbled as I looked to my left, past the velvet rope to the concessions area. Riley and Dave were already there, sitting on bar stools at one of the high tables. They had a bucket of popcorn, and were throwing bits at each other. Their hands were linked, as they always where when they were together, and their eyes connected. They were so in love, sometimes I had to look away because I felt like I was interrupting an intimate moment.

"Hello!" The Doctor grinned at the gothic teenage girl behind the counter.

She stared at him, blowing a large bubble with her chewing gum and popping it loudly. "Hi…"

I rolled my eyes. "Two for Harry Potter."

"Twelve bucks." Another bubble.

"Ooh, we're seeing Harry Potter?" He turned to me.

"Yeah, we are." I mumbled, fishing a twenty out of my wallet and setting it on the counter. The girl printed the tickets and the Doctor leaned across the counter to get a closer look at the screen of the computer. Eventually, she pressed my change into my hand and I literally had to pull him away from the counter and towards Riley and Dave.

"Cat?" Riley asked as she spotted me. "Cat Black?"

I waved. "Hi, Riley."

"Dave, you see him too, right?" She asked her fiancé, looking up at him with pure glee on her face. "Cat's with a _man_, right? I'm not just hallucinating?"

"Would you put a leash on her?" I asked Dave, pointing at his wife-to-be.

He smiled kindly at me. "I've tried, but her teeth are _really_ sharp." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. She'd once told me that she loved it when he did that. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm the Doctor!"

I jumped and watched as the Doctor stepped forward and roughly shook Dave's free hand. He then gave Riley's had the same treatment.

"Ooh, Cat, a doctor," Riley winked at me, her arm sliding around Dave's waist.

"Um, no, _the_ Doctor." The Doctor mumbled as I hit my head.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself.

Riley suddenly looked very serious. "_The_ Doctor? What's that, some sort of code name?"

"Oh, Riley, just leave him alone." I pleaded, running my hand over my face.

She stepped away from Dave and got to her tippy-toes, obviously trying to get a closer look at his face. However, she wasn't really succeeding seeing as she barely reached his nose. "Oh, Cat, you know me," She mumbled as her eyes narrowed and she set her hand on her hips. "I don't leave anyone alone."

The Doctor bent his knees so he was just slightly taller than her and started to bob his head, gaining a confused reaction from me. "Fantastic, I don't leave anyone alone either."

Riley glared at him. "What are you doing with my Kitty Cat?"

"Kitty Cat?"

"Yes, _my_ Kitty Cat." She was practically growling now, but I knew she wouldn't do anything to him. She was Riley, harmless as a butterfly… most of the time. "Are you sleeping with her?"

My eyes widened suddenly. "Riley!"

The Doctor blinked. "I don't think so, no."

"Alright, are you her dealer then?"

"Dealer?" I groaned, understanding now that I'd set myself up for a whole lot of trouble.

"Dealer? As is drugs?" The Doctor asked Riley, and then turned to me. The look on his face was priceless. A sort of mixture of shock, confusion and disgust, but it was hilarious all the same. It sort of bugged me that the disgust was directed at me, though. "You're on drugs?"

"No, I'm not on drugs." I mumbled, but Riley had started shouting abuse at him, drowning out my quiet and stressed voice. He started interrogating me, but I wasn't listening. I was just shaking my head and mentally slapping myself for bringing him along.

After several moments of listening to the both of them shouting, I got fed up. So, I raised my hand and thumped the back of the Doctor's head. He shut up immediately, so I moved to Riley. I thumped her just as I had the Doctor, only she had a bit of a more severe reaction.

"Ow!" She yelped as she jerked forward, her own hands burying themselves in her thick red hair. "That hurt…." She whined.

I glared at her. "He's not my dealer," I turned to the Doctor, who still looked surprised. "I'm not even _on_ drugs."

He blinked. "Alright…"

I nodded, and then offered a smile. "You want popcorn?"

Again, he blinked. "Sure…"

I waved to Riley and Dave as I grabbed the Doctor's sleeve, pulling him away from them and towards the concession stand. He didn't say anything, and willingly followed. I'm sure he was just trying to make up for accusing me of drug abuse.

"Sorry about her, by the way." I mumbled as we stepped to the end of the line. "Riley's a bit…"

"Scary?" He offered, causing me to smile.

"I was going to say eccentric, but scary works."

He nodded and tucked his hands in his pockets. "And Dave is her boyfriend, yeah?"

"Fiancé, actually." I smiled. "They've been together for four years, and they're finally saying the 'I do's' next Saturday."

"Oh, Saturdays! I love Saturdays!" He exclaimed, his lips stretching into a bright grin. "And now you're putting a wedding on one! I'm horrible with weddings, especially my own. I love 'em, though! Weddings, the joining of two people in holy matrimony. Have you ever realized that those two words rhyme? Holy matrimony. Holy matrimony. Holy-"

"Next!"

I giggled as the Doctor shut up, looking as if someone had just kicked his puppy. He grinned at me when he heard the giggling.

I stepped forward. There was a young man behind the counter, probably working here over the summer. I doubted he was any older than nineteen. His eyes scrapped up and down my body, and then he smirked at me.

"What can I get _you_?" He asked, winking at me.

I frowned. "A small popcorn and something to throw up in."

The Doctor snorted, and then threw his elbow gently into my side. "And people think _I'm_ rude."

The boy scowled at the Doctor, winked at me one more time (with much less enthusiasm), and left to get my popcorn.

"So, which Harry Potter is this?" He asked, watching the boy turn away.

"Seven part two." I answered, showing him the numbers on my fingers. "Seen it yet?"

He threw me a look. "_Seen _it? I was there when they were _writing_ it."

I smirked. "So you haven't seen it?"

"Not yet, no," He glanced at the counter, shooting the boy a nasty look as he set the popcorn on the counter. "I did read the book, though. Loved it. Good old J.K.!"

I smiled and shoved the change from the tickets into the boy's hand, throwing him a look just as nasty as the Doctor's before turning and walking away. "It's good to know even Time Lords have time to just sit down and read a good book."

"Oh, it was worth it," He smiled. "I cried."

I nodded and tossed a bit of popcorn into my mouth. "Me too, I wanted to kill someone when I found out that Remus died."

"Yeah, yeah," He chuckled, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "I met a werewolf once. Well, more like fought it, but all the same really. They got the look right, the whole," He raised his hand to his face and tried to motion elongating it.

I laughed at the look on his face. "Tell me the story later, but right now we've got to go."

He nodded and set his hand on my back, guiding me through the concessions area. Together, we walked past the empty ticket stand (there used to be and attendant, but I hadn't seen anyone there for years) and turned right into the hallway that connected all of the theatres. I looked at the board on the wall across from us, and found the words 'Harry Potter' at the very top with an arrow pointing right. The Doctor saw it as well, and we quickly moved to the end of the hall, ducking left into the theatre.

When I saw the screen, I knew the movie had already started. It showed Voldemort as he cackled in triumph, the Elder Wand gripped tightly in his hand. It was only a recap of how part one had ended though, so we hadn't missed anything of importance.

"Hurry!" I whispered to the Doctor as I began running up the steps. Riley and Dave were at the back of the theatre. Riley had once told me that she wouldn't sit anywhere else because she enjoyed throwing popcorn at the back of other peoples' heads.

When I reached her, Riley grabbed me and rather forcefully pulled me into the seat next to her. "Took you long enough," She whispered harshly as the Doctor sat down beside me. "Now just be quiet and watch the movie!"

Now, I'd known Riley since middle school, and I knew that was a good time to listen and obey her every command. The Doctor, however, wasn't quite so… savvy.

"Why doesn't Voldemort have a nose?" He asked, leaning forward in his seat to ask both Riley and I. "I don't get-"

He was cut off by a fistful of M&M's raining down on his face and into his hair. "And there's more where that came from." Riley growled under her breath as she shook the large tub of popcorn in her hands.

The Doctor seemed to get the message, and shrank back in his seat, his long legs thrown out in front of him and his head ducked. Most likely to avoid more stray food.

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><p><strong>AN: So, this is another kinda short chapter. I rather liked this one though, so I think that made up for it at least a little bit. **

**I'm posting this rather late in the evening due to the really _exciting_ week I've been having. That was sarcastic, but now that I think about it, it really shouldn't have been. The week was exciting, it was just today that was a bit boring. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida is one of the most boring things I've ever done. The iMax was pretty cool though. Yesterday we went to Islands of Adventure and I got grumpy towards the end, and the same two days before when we went to Universal. **

**Anyways, now you know a bit more about Riley. I rather like her. And, just pointing this out now, her views are not mine. There's just this little part of my dormant mind that creates her dialogue and actions without my knowing. If you wish, go ahead and leave some hate mail for her, and I'll be sure to forward it to her. **

**I've got to go. It's late and I have to wake up early tomorrow in order to repack my suitcase. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Allons-y!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	6. Dinner with a Doofus, a Doctor, and Dave

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Doctor, the Hunters' Inn, or Deal or No Deal. Everything else is thankfully a creation of my amazing mind.**

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><p>Riley, Dave and I had been going to this little restaurant on the side of the highway since we were teenagers. It was called the Hunters' Inn, and they had the absolute best burgers in Minnesota. We used to go there every weekend, but they'd eventually both gotten jobs and didn't have time to go. I tried going by myself, but it wasn't the same. Plus, without Dave there I felt like some biker guy was going to kill me.<p>

So, whenever we got the chance, we went there. Seeing as all three of us were together, plus the Doctor, we decided it was the perfect spot. That decision had put me in such a good mood, I barely registered it when the Doctor asked if he could drive.

I stupidly said yes.

As the Doctor parked my car, I quickly unbuckled myself and hopped out, throwing myself to the ground. "Thank the good Lord above!" I shouted, pressing my lips to the pavement. I wasn't even religious…

"That's unsanitary."

I snorted and slowly got to my feet again. "So is your driving."

He smirked amusedly, poking his hands into his pockets. "Was that supposed to be an insult, because it didn't make any sense."

I shrugged. "I don't care, it still made me feel a bit better."

He chuckled and looked past me as Riley's tiny car parked behind me. I turned around, smiling up at Dave as he got out of the passenger side and stood beside me.

"Cat, how much money have you got on you?" Riley asked rather loudly as she slammed the driver's door shut.

"Plenty, why?"

She smirked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You're paying for Deal or No Deal."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, tucking my hands in my pockets as I started towards the door. I sneered at the small amount of people standing there smoking (I was extremely against the disgusting activity), and then pushed the heavy door open.

The Inn was poorly lit, having only a few windows and several nearly dead light bulbs. However, the sun that was shining through the few windows lit the room enough to see everything clearly. There were a few tall tables with barstools in the center of the room in front of me, and booths lined the rest of it. Through a hallway on the left was the bar, which we rarely visited because none of us really enjoyed drinking. On the opposite side of the room were the kitchens, and a hallway on the right that led to the bathrooms and the room with really long tables for birthday parties and stuff.

The Doctor stepped up beside me and poked his head through the door, looking around before grinning back at me. "Cozy."

I elbowed him and stepped inside. Riley shoved past him as well.

"The usual spot." She smiled at me, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the tall table at the far right. She threw herself onto one of the stools and started to spin herself from side to side. I rolled my eyes and jumped onto the stool next to her. Dave soon set himself on the stool on her other side, and the Doctor sat between us.

"Well, I'll be!" I looked past Dave's shoulder to see a man I knew. Well, sort of. He was more Dave's friend, but we'd met every now and then.

"Travis." Dave mumbled in his deep voice, smiling back at the man.

Travis whipped his head to the side, his golden locks whipping along with it. "Cat." He smiled at me softly, his eyes connecting with mine.

I nodded and shrank into my seat, wishing now that I hadn't come. Travis had been working Mondays here since we got out of high school, and I'd come anyways. Now, don't get me wrong, Travis was a great guy, and any girl would be lucky to have him. That girl just wasn't me.

Travis glanced at the Doctor and I saw a muscle in his jaw jump. "I'll be back in a moment." He looked at Dave, and then walked through the door to the kitchens.

Riley turned and glared at me. "Why don't you like him?" She asked, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me. "He's perfect, and you won't stop turning him down!"

I groaned and set my head on the cool table-top, ignoring her as she lectured me about how perfect he was. Dave was frowning, which was understandable seeing as his fiancée was talking about the perfection of a male specimen that wasn't him. The Doctor was just sitting there, his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. There was this little amused grin on his face, but it looked as if he was trying to hide it and was just doing a terrible job.

Eventually, Travis returned to give us menus and ask us what we wanted to drink. I barely mumbled the word 'water' and kept my eyes downcast. When he finally left us again, I sighed in relief.

Riley sneered at me. "I can't stand to look at you, you heartbreaker." She sighed, dramatically looking the other way. "Now give me a dollar for Deal or No Deal."

I rolled my eyes as she held out her hand and pulled my wallet from my back pocket, pushing several ones into her open palm. "I hope that keeps you busy for a while…" I mumbled as she hopped off of her stool and ran to the large machine a good fifteen feet away.

Dave smiled at me. "I'm gonna go make sure she doesn't break it." He left, too, leaving the Doctor and I to chat amongst ourselves.

He grinned at me cheekily. "So, who's Travis?"

I sighed and folded my arms on the table before dropping my chin on them. "Just a guy that's got a…" I hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Thing… a thing for me…"

"And you don't reciprocate the feelings?"

I snorted. "Who says reciprocate?"

He grinned. "Me, now answer the question."

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

"Why's that?" He asked, turning his body towards me slightly. "He seems like a decent bloke."

I sighed and stared at him. "He just reminds me of someone I'd rather not think about, that's all." I mumbled before hopping off of my stool and walking over to join Riley and Dave. As I stepped up to the large machine, Riley caught a glimpse of me.

"Cat, you're lucky, right?" I tried to say 'no', but she obviously didn't really want an answer. "Great, awesome, choose a number."

I blinked and looked down at the numbers that were glowing in front of me. They'd already pushed one, nine, eleven, fourteen, and twenty-two. I went for six because it was my dad's birthday, and watched the screen as the case opened and the one dollar thing popped out.

"Six, that's good number," I jumped as the Doctor seemed to appear beside me out of nowhere. "Six, six, six. Always loved six! Not my favorite number, though. Favorite number is two-thousand-and-five. That was a great year, too! Oh, fantastic year!"

I chuckled, and poked him. "Have you ever realized that you tend to ramble… a lot?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah…" He groaned. "Bad habit, can't really stop it."

I shook my head. "No, no, it suits you."

He smiled down at me, I smiled up at him, and then we both focused on the screen again, watching as Riley completely failed her game and started another one.

* * *

><p>"No, no, no, no, no!" Riley whined as she angrily dug through her large leather purse. "I don't have a dollar! I can't find anything! <em>Dave!<em>"

I leaned back on my stool and crossed my legs and arms. "That's what you get for playing seven games in a row." Her head snapped my way. Her teeth were barred and she had a crazy look in her bright blue eyes. Perhaps that hadn't been the right thing to say…

"Alright!" I groaned and sank into my seat as Travis sauntered over, a circular plastic tray balanced on his up-turned palm. "Dave, Riley, your wings. Cat," He smiled at me. "Your burger. And…" His eyes drifted to the Doctor, a small frown replacing the gentle smile. "Here." He dropped the Doctor's box of onion rings on the table and turned to leave.

The Doctor stared after him with an upset look on his face. "I don't think he likes me."

"He just doesn't know you, that's all." I mumbled as I sat up again and poked my burger.

"I don't know him and I like him." Riley said as she got off of her stool. "Let's go to the bathroom." She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the table, towards the hallway. Just as we disappeared from the boys' view, I heard Dave mumble something along the lines of 'women' and the Doctor chuckle.

"Alright, spill." Riley smirked at me as she pushed the heavy bathroom door open and stepped inside.

I followed. "Spill what?"

She sighed and turned on the single faucet in the bathroom. "Everything. Where'd you meet him? How long have you known him? Why didn't you tell me about him?"

I blinked. "Um… It's kind of hard to explain." I mumbled.

She squirted some of the foaming hand soap into her palm and ran it through her hands, making sure they were nice and clean. "I don't care, tell me anyways."

"He's only been here a couple of days, and I guess you could say he's my neighbor… Sort of…"

She flashed me a look.

"What?"

"If you don't wanna tell me the truth, fine." She frowned and looked at her reflection in the mirror, pinching her cheeks and running her fingers through her hair.

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe the truth." I said under my breath as I leaned against the plastic countertop.

"Try me." She glared, grabbing a paper towel and drying off her hands.

I bit my lip. "I would, but I don't know if…" It suddenly occurred to me that it might sound odd if I told her that I didn't know if he wanted it kept secret or not. I shook my head. "Just, maybe I'll tell you later."

She sighed, and nodded. "So, just making sure I get this right," She smirked at me cheekily. "You're _not_ sleeping with him?"

I groaned and hit my head against the wall, ignoring the odd look a middle-aged woman shot my way as she entered the restroom and stepped into one of the stalls. "Riley-"

"Why not?" She interrupted. "I mean, he's a pretty good looking guy. All tall and mysterious. If I weren't engaged, I'd happily saddle up and ride that pony!"

I repeatedly hit my head against the wall, trying to get that mental image out of my mind.

"Stop that, honey," She grabbed my shoulder. "Don't wanna get the floor all bloody." I shot her a glare, and she grinned. "Just saying, if you go with him over Travis, I understand and fully approve."

"Since when do I need your approval to date someone?" I asked, the glare softening.

"Since forever."

After thinking about that for a moment, I concurred, I grinned and nodded. "Yeah, forever."

"After all, I know your type better than you do."

"I thought we agreed that I don't have a type."

She winked at me. "In high school, yeah, but now we've met _him_." She hooked her arm through mine and pulled me out of the bathroom, back towards the boys. "Now we've got an example."

I shook my head and smiled as we approached the table. We all launched into conversation, listening to Riley and Dave about their wedding plans, and then listening to the Doctor talk about the recent alien activity. Riley had called him a science geek, but Dave seemed to listen intently, both under the belief that he was an author that wrote science-fiction.

I didn't say much. I was busy thinking about everything Riley had said in the bathroom. She'd been right when she said that he wasn't bad looking. Tall, lean, great hair, add in those dazzling eyes of his and you've got one sexy guy. He also had that silly little grin that I'd grown so fond of. Ooh, and those glasses! Plus, he'd showed me that he was brilliant several times. After I'd thought about it, I knew why he'd been so emotionless when talking about his dead race. That's just how much it hurt, and to be emotionless was a completely normal reaction. I had a bit of experience with that feeling.

"Catherine, are you alright?" The Doctor's gentle voice pulled me out of the clouds and back down to earth.

I blinked and nodded, smiling at how concerned he'd sounded. "I'm fine, just thinking."

He smiled and nodded, and then turned back to Dave, who was going on about his newest house design. I glanced at Riley, who winked as if to say 'he's totally into you' and took a sip of her Coke. I couldn't help but to roll my eyes. I doubted he thought very highly of me. I mean, I must've looked so small to him. I was just one human on this huge planet. Nothing special.

Nothing special at all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Once more, I apologize if Riley's words are at all offensive. However, I have a feeling a few of you will agree to her comment about ponies... **

**Anyways, I'm sorry this is a few days late. After my week in Florida, I have a lot of absent work in school that I'm _still_ trying to catch up on. Plus, my teachers keep piling on projects, and packets, and stuff like that. **

**So, I'm curious as to how you think this whole thing with Travis is going to work out. Obviously, I know what happens... suckers... I'm not sure how I feel about him. I know Cat isn't very comfortable around him, but that doesn't mean I can't be. Who do you guys think he reminds her of? Once more, I already know... **

**So, I_ will_ be posting next Thursday. I'll try my hardest not to be late. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	7. Nicky

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or the Millennium Falcon…**

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><p>You know when you stay up really late, and the next morning you know you should get out of bed but you can't. You just lay there, moving around and telling yourself 'five more minutes.' Yeah, I never felt like that. Sleep was important to me, so I never stayed up late and always woke up at a decent hour.<p>

Today, I ruined it.

I didn't want to get up. The Doctor had needed help making random repairs in the TARDIS throughout the entire day before (none of which had been the cause of his problem), and he hadn't let me go to sleep until really late. I just held things and stuff, but it was still interesting. He told me more stories, most of them including Rose.

I groaned and flipped over, burying my face in my large fluffy pillows. It was warm, rolled up and folded in my large comforter. I eventually forced my neck to work and glanced at my shiny, old-school alarm clock. You know, the kind with the two bells and the little hammer? It read ten o'clock, and it was about time I got out of bed.

With a sigh, I sat up and pushed my large mountain of blankets from my feet. I snatched my glasses from my bedside table and lazily set them on the bridge of my nose, a yawn escaping me. Slowly, I shuffled out of my room and through the hallway, taking a left down the stairs. As I reached the bottom step, I glanced into my living room.

"Hey, Nicky…" I mumbled tiredly to my nephew as I started towards the kitchen.

I froze with one foot on the tile in my kitchen.

Nicky was here? Why was Nicky here? I hadn't talked to Ian about him coming, had I? Oh, wait, I had. The day the TARDIS had appeared in my backyard, I'd called him because he left me a message.

I sighed. "It's Wednesday, isn't it?" I asked as I spun around to face him.

Nicky nodded, his overgrown blond hair falling in front of his bright blue eyes. "Daddy says it's okay that you slept in."

I pulled my glasses off and ran a hand over my face before putting them back. "Oh, I'm sorry about that, kiddo…" It was them that I noticed that my TV was on, and Miley Cyrus was dancing around the screen in a blond wig and sequined clothing. "How long have you been here?"

"Since the little hand was on the nine and the big hand was on the twelve." He pointed to the clock on my wall.

I groaned. "So you've been here alone for an entire hour?" I mumbled, mostly to myself.

Nicky shook his head with a large smile, flashing the gaping hole left by his missing two front teeth. "Not alone!" He giggled. "The nice man took care of me! He's helping me with my spaceship!"

"Nice man?"

"Alright!" I turned at the sound of the Doctor's voice. He grinned at me as he closed the bathroom door behind him, clapping his large hands together. "Morning! Sleep well?"

"Yeah, fine," I blinked. "Spaceship?"

He grinned and winked at me. "Ironic, huh?"

I nodded. "Did you talk to my brother, by any chance?"

"Yup!" He swaggered over to me, that stupid grin still on his face. "Told him my name was John Smith."

I raised an eyebrow. "And he actually _believed_ you?"

For a moment, he looked like he was going to confidently answer yes, but then his face dropped. "He said he was going to call you."

I smirked. "I thought so," I nodded defiantly. "Still, he had to have some sort of trust in you, seeing as he left Nicky anyways."

He grinned and stood up straight. "I've just got one of those faces."

"I like the nice man!" Nicky shouted from the couch. He was grinning, and he actually looked like a mini-Doctor for a moment.

I smiled at my nephew, and then turned to the Doctor again. "Why does he call you the nice man?"

He just shrugged and strode over to the couch. He lifted Nicky onto his shoulders and headed for the kitchen. I followed, smiling as I heard Nicky's obnoxious laughter. Nicky laughed a lot, but never like this. Then again, the Doctor did have that sort of effect on people.

He set Nicky down on one of my four wooden chairs (I only used one, but I still had four. Not really sure why) and pulled the one to Nicky's right out, grinning at me.

"Thanks." I mumbled as I smiled and sat down. He pushed my chair in, and I looked at what was now spread out across my table. There were hundreds of little dully-colored Lego pieces, all different shapes and sizes. It didn't seem odd. I'd seen kids build things like this before. Riley's younger cousins stayed with her a lot, and they loved this sort of thing. No, it wasn't weird. However, the fact that the directions seemed to be missing was a little odd.

"What are you building?" I asked Nicky.

He beamed. "The Mil…" He paused, his face contorting as he tried to concentrate on the word. "Mill…enn…ium… Falcon."

"The Millennium Falcon? I didn't know they made a Lego Millennium Falcon."

The Doctor pulled his glasses out of his inner jacket pocket, and grinned at me as he placed them against his eyes. "Neither did I." He mumbled as he gazed at the pieces in front of him.

My brow jumped. "I thought you knew everything."

He blinked, glancing at me with a smirk on his face. "Legos aren't exactly my area of expertise."

"Well, they should be," I smiled mischievously. "Girls are really attracted to men who know their Legos."

He jerked his head. "My hair does that on its own, thanks." He winked, and I couldn't help but to nod. He did have some fantastic hair.

"So," I started, glancing between the two boys. "Where are the instructions?"

Nicky pointed to the silver kick-top trash bin in my kitchen. "The nice man says it's more fun without them."

My brow furrowed. "How do we figure out where they go?" I gestured to the Legos.

The Doctor grabbed several pieces and attached them. "Trial and error." He mumbled as he pulled them apart.

I looked to the Doctor, a frown on my face. "There are hundreds of pieces," I reasoned. "We'd need a supercomputer."

"We have a supercomputer." The tip of his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth as he stared at me over the black frame of his glasses.

"We do?" Nicky asked, looking up at him with interest. "Where?"

I leaned back and folded my arms across my chest. "Yes, Doctor, where?"

He grinned. "Right here." He tapped his temple. "And here, in a few years." He stretched his long arm to tap Nicky's temple, who grinned at his touch. "And here, too." He got to his feet and stretched across the table, gently placing the tip of his finger against my forehead.

I reached up and pushed his hand away, shooting him a questioning look. "My brain's no supercomputer."

"'Course it is!" He exclaimed, smiling at me tenderly. "You're brilliant! Really, you are!"

I laughed dryly. "No, _Albert Einstein_ was brilliant."

"Mathematically and scientifically, yeah," He said. "But Albert Einstein didn't write a series of extremely successful books."

I smirked. "Series?"

He froze as he realized what had slipped out of his mouth. "Supercomputers on…" He squeaked, looking down at the pieces in front of him. He then proceeded to command Nicky and I to put pieces together, take them apart, and build the famous Millennium Falcon.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Nicky and I had gotten bored. The Doctor had whined and said he wanted to finish it, but we'd dragged him away and managed to get him to sit on the couch with us as we watched a special on undiscovered galaxies. He soon forgot about the unfinished spaceship on my table, and moved onto correcting the scientists that were shown to give their theories. Listening to him was fun all by itself. He made the scientists sound like idiots, and that made me feel rather smart.<p>

After the special had ended, Nicky had insisted on watching the Goblet of Fire, and the Doctor had gotten up and went back to the Legos muttering about inaccuracy. With a roll of my eyes, I'd let him go and watched the movie with Nicky. Lunch eventually rolled around, and even then he refused to stop. He'd passes up strawberries, claiming he hated them. How could someone hate strawberries?

Throughout the day, Nicky had gone outside, watched more TV, and even played a few games on my laptop. I'd kept him entertained and gotten in a bit of writing time, too. And, as the night drew to a close, we found ourselves on the couch again, watching an episode of Pawn Stars through my Wii.

As the episode ended with the cast in the back room taking wise-cracks at each other, I sighed and glanced at the clock. Nicky had a bedtime, even during the summer. I'd never understood why Ian did that to the poor kid, but I followed his rules anyways… most of the time.

"Alright, kiddo," I mumbled, getting to my feet and smiling down at my nephew. "Bedtime."

"Awe, but Auntie Cat-"

"Nope, no buts." I interrupted. "You know the rules, now go change."

He grimaced, but did as I said and slid of the couch. As he made his way into the bathroom, I climbed the stairs and opened the linen cabinet that was in my sitting room. I pulled some clean sheets from the top shelf, Nicky's favorite blanket from the bottom, and one of five pillows from the center. With all of that piled up in my arms, I started shuffling down the stairs again, crippling my vision slightly. I almost fell about four times due to my lack of sight, but eventually made it to the bottom without breaking anything and dumped everything I was holding onto the couch.

My vision restored, I looked towards the kitchen. The Doctor was sitting at the table, his glasses on as he stared at the piece he held between his thumb and index finger. His other hand was buried in his hair, which was a fair bit messier than normal.

I walked over and picked up what looked like a half finished Millennium Falcon. "You really are brilliant, huh?" I asked, flipping the solid clump of Legos in my hands.

"Yup…" He mumbled, staring intently at the piece. "Would you mind?" He held his hand out, his eyes never wavering.

I set the clump in his open hand and watched as he stuck the piece onto all of the others. "Listen, I'm glad you enjoy exercising your brain, but Nicky needs to get to bed."

"Then put him in bed." He picked up another piece and started to stare at it as he had the other one.

"No, see, he needs it to be completely dark to fall asleep," I mumbled. "Unlike every other five-year-old alive, he doesn't have any remote fear of the dark."

He smirked. "He should," He turned his head and stared up at me. "Remember the story about the Vashta Nerada?"

"Yeah, you said they live off road-kill." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Not always," He leaned back, the ship momentarily forgotten. "Someone goes missing every now and then."

I rolled my eyes. "Back on topic," I snatched the unfinished toy from his hand and set it on the table. "I'll leave it out and you can finish it tomorrow."

With a sigh, he got to his feet and pulled his glasses from his eyes. "Alright, I've got stuff to do anyways." He tucked his hands in his pockets and smiled down at me. "Speaking of, I need an extra pair of hands…" He hesitated. "I mean, if you're not busy…"

I smiled and one of my eyebrows jumped to form an amused face. "Yeah, 'cause I've got loads to do at nine at night."

He grinned. "See you in a few minutes, then." He set his large hand atop my head and ruffled my hair.

I shook my head as he strolled out of the kitchen and into the living room. I followed, only instead of going outside, I just walked around the sofa. I grabbed the sheets and spread them out, over the back of the couch and tucking it into the creases. Then came the pillow, and then the blanket. At that point, Nicky ran out of the bathroom and leaped onto his temporary bed.

I swear, Nicky at bedtime was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. He had these little Buzz Lightyear footy-pajamas that reminded me just how young he was. Sometimes, I could swear he was my age. Anyways, he also had this raggedy old bear with a red bow around his neck. The bear had, at one time, belonged to Ian. My dad had brought that back with him from Germany. He'd given me one, too, but I lost it. I was only two, it's not like I was careful with it.

I pulled myself out of my head and pulled the blanket over Nicky's small form.

"Auntie Cat?"

I smiled at him, and reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Is the nice man staying forever?"

My heart stopped.

I hadn't thought about that. I'd just been living in the moment, introducing him to Dave and Riley, and now Nicky. I hadn't even thought about how it might impact them. I'm sure Riley and Dave would get over it, but Nicky? No, Nicky would just wait for him to come back. But the Doctor had a home out there somewhere, and he'd have to go back to it eventually. I was absolutely certain he wasn't staying forever, though.

I bit my lip. "I don't know, kiddo."

He smiled at me. "I hope he does."

I nodded, and hesitated for a moment. "Me too…" I smiled and stretched to kiss his forehead gently. "Sleep well, pal."

"Night." He mumbled as he rolled onto his side and curled up.

I smiled to myself and walked over to the kitchen, shutting the lights off before turning around and going to the sliding-door. I quietly pulled it open and stepped outside. I made sure it was shut tightly before turning around and heading across the lawn. I soon found myself at the doors of the TARDIS. I pushed them open, and poked my head inside.

The Doctor was at the Console. The overcoat I hadn't seen all day was slung across one of the support beams and he'd removed his jacket, leaving him in a light blue shirt and tie. He was running his hands over parts of the Console, mumbling to the time machine.

I smiled amusedly and stepped in. As soon as my feet were planted on the metal grating, I felt the floor hum. Nothing big, just a small vibration.

"Ooh, what's got you excited, old girl?" He asked, patting the machine.

I grinned, and slowly took a step forward, a quiet creak coming from the metal. I closed my eyes tightly.

_Quiet, please, quiet. _I thought, biting my lip. As soon as the words were formed in my mind, the creaking stopped, as if the machine had heard me. Although I knew that was impossible, I decided to respond anyways. _Thanks._

I took a step forward, and the floor was silent. I slowly walked up the stairs, holding my breath as I crept up behind him. When I was finally arms-length away, I took a deep breath. "Hiya!" I yelled as I clapped my hands down on his shoulders.

"Jeez!" He jumped about twenty feet in the air and spun around. His eyebrows were nearly at his hairline, and his eyes were wide. "What, d'you wanna give me a hearts attack?"

"You're too fit to…" I trailed off as I fully registered what he said. "Did you say 'hearts'?"

He grinned. "Hold on." He reached across the Console and grabbed his jacket from where it was hooked on a lever with a large handle. His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he fished around inside his pockets, and eventually pulled out the stethoscope I'd seen him using the first time I saw him. He held the ear pieces out to me. "Go on, put 'em in." He grinned.

I grabbed the ear pieces and placed the buds in my ears, watching as he placed the round part against the left side of his chest. What I heard was normal. Two consecutive beats. However, then I listened closer, and heard a soft sort of… echo. As my brow furrowed, he slid the round part to the other side of his chest, and I heard the exact same sound.

I blinked and stared at him. "You're kidding me…"

He shook his head with a grin. "Time Lords, two hearts."

I pulled the buds out of my ears and handed him the ear pieces. "You're impossible."

"Nah," He winked. "Just a bit unlikely."

I smiled and the floor hummed again. I frowned. "Why does it keep doing that?"

He tucked his hands in his pockets and looked around. "Not sure," He mumbled, reaching out to pat the Console. "She doesn't normally do that." He was quiet for a moment, and then a sudden look of realization showed on his face. "Oh, alright,"

My brow furrowed. "What?"

He smiled at me. "She likes you."

"What?" I repeated.

"The TARDIS likes you," He started. "For some reason, she's drawn to you…"

"Oh, great, a time machine likes me," I mumbled unenthusiastically. "I feel so blessed."

"You should!" He exclaimed as he turned around and leaned against the edge of the Console, crossing his ankles and starting to roll up his sleeves. "Being buddy-buddy with a time machine has its perks!"

I rolled my eyes. "What'd you need my help with?"

He stared at me absently for a moment, and then jumped and tossed the stethoscope onto a white seat beside him. "Oh, right, over here!" He spun and ran about halfway around the Console. I followed, watching as he pulled up a grate.

"Am I holding things again?"

"Nope," He grinned at me as he tossed the grate aside, getting back to his feet. He poked my nose. "You get to push a button." He jumped feet-first into the hole left by the grating and disappeared below the visible surface. Seconds later, he popped back up and tossed a large black ball that was wired into the time machine onto the floor beside me. "I get to pull."

I set myself on the floor and poked the ball, making it rock back and forth. "What is this thing?" I asked as the Doctor pulled himself out of the hole.

A long string of unrecognizable words spewed from his throat. Then, he caught the confused look on my face a paused. "Sorry, it's the brakes."

"You could've just said that in the first place."

He smiled and snatched his jacket again. This time he didn't pull out a stethoscope, though. This time it was a silver rod with this blue marble (that's what it looked like to me) at the end. He pressed it into my hand and I examined it. It was heavier than I thought it'd be, and cool to the touch.

"What is this?" I asked as he sat down beside me.

"Sonic screwdriver." He answered as he lifted the "brakes" into his lap. I shot him a look and he grinned. "The button you're gonna push."

I made an O with my mouth and flipped the screwdriver in my hands while he reached around the sphere and braced the tips of his fingers against the edge of an octagonal indent that surrounded what _almost_ looked like a lock.

"Alright, put the blue piece against the lock and push the button down."

I nodded and set the blue piece against the lock. "Tell me when." I glanced at him.

"Ready…" I saw his shoulders brace and all of his muscles tense. "Go!"

I pressed the button down with my thumb and a high annoying sound erupted from the screwdriver. The Doctor barred his teeth and pulled at the edges of the indent. I could see a small vertical crack going around the circumference of the ball, and it was slowly beginning to widen. Then, suddenly, it burst open, and the Doctor's arms flew wide.

I released the button. "Why so much works to get to the brakes?"

He started to chuckle and relaxed as he leaned back. "People used to try to turn them off."

"So… You just leave them on?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

He sighed and smiled at me. "I like the sound."

I blinked. "That's TARDIS abuse." The floor hummed yet again.

He erupted in laughter, throwing his head back as his body shook and convulsed. Eventually, he quieted down and took a deep breath. "Oh, she doesn't mind," He patted the floor. "If she did, trust me, I'd know."

I smiled softly. "Need me for anything else?"

He shook his head. "Nah, but you're welcome to stay," He smiled. "I could always use the company."

I shook my head and got to my feet. "I should probably go to bed. Nicky's a bit of an early-riser."

He nodded and looked down at the split ball in his lap, poking the odd contraption that had fallen out of it. "Alright…"

"Thanks for taking care of him, by the way,"

"Oh, no," He looked up and grinned at me. "My pleasure! I didn't know you two were related."

I blinked. "You know him?"

He smirked. "Everyone knows Nicholas Black," He leaned back, his hands on the grating behind him. "Well, not now, but in… Oh, I dunno, forty years."

"Why?" I asked. "I mean, why does everyone know him?"

He winked and made that clicking sound with his tongue that I found myself liking just a bit _too_ much. "Spoilers."

I rolled my eyes. "He really likes you, y'know." I mumbled. "He asked how long you were staying..." I bit my lip. "How long d'you think you'll be here…?"

He shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest. Who knows when the TARDIS'll move again."

As those words escaped from his lips, I found my heart sinking. He wouldn't have any problem leaving. The minute his machine started agreeing with him he would be out of here. He wouldn't look back. I doubt he'd even remember me. Oh, but I'd remember him. These had been the weirdest few days of my life, and, as much as it pained me to say it, he was one of the most remarkable men I'd ever met.

I sighed. "Oh…"

"I'd ask you to come with me, but," He hesitated for a moment, staring up at me. "You're _sort of_ important."

I smiled, feeling at least _some_ sanctuary in his words. "How important?" I asked with a smirk.

He grinned, chuckling under his breath. "Very important."

I nodded. "Night, Doctor."

His grin softened to a gentle smile. "Goodnight, Catherine."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I thought I'd post this a day early to make up for being late last time. Plus, I must admit, this is one of my favorite chapters and I wanted to share it. And, yes, I did get a little corny there at the end. Sort of like the bit with cheese...**

**Anyways, thanks to all of you who reviewed for _any_ of the past chapters! I go through those, and I feel like I'm part of something bigger, y'know. Ha, there's the corn again! But, seriously, thank you. **

**A special thanks to Spirit-of-the-Rain for making me laugh my rear end off lately, and fathering our one-shot so well. I love you, sweetheart! Haha, seriously, I love you. **

**So, what do you think of Nicky? He's going to be popping up through out the story, so I sure hope that you like him.**

**Oh, this has been short, but I have this huge research project due on Friday that I've barely even started. Better get to work on that! **

**Allons-y!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	8. Space Doctor

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Millennium Falcon, Bentley, or anything Doctor Who.**

* * *

><p>I blinked, watching Nicky run around my living room with the completed Millennium Falcon in his tiny hands. "I can't believe you actually finished it…"<p>

The Doctor, who was sitting in the chair across from me, grinned. That's all though. No snarky remarks.

"You actually… _finished it_." I mumbled.

"No need to sound so surprised."

I blinked a few more times. "Sorry, it's just…" I shook my head and stared at him with wild, bewildered eyes. "_You finished it_."

With a smile, he rolled his brown eyes and stood, tromping over to Nicky. I watched as he and Nicky played with the Lego ship, both of them making whooshing sounds as they moved it through the air. They jumped on and over chairs, and ran around things over and over again. The Doctor looked just like Nicky, a gigantic grin on his speckled face and the shining look in his eyes. He constantly acted like a child, but he looked as if he was about forty.

"Auntie Cat!" Nicky called, climbing over the back of my couch. "Come play with us!"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

"Please?" He stared at me with those large, shiny blue eyes and I felt my resolve start to crumble. "Please?"

After a moment and with a bit of difficulty, I shook my head again. "No, you two have fun."

"Oh, Catherine," The Doctor strode to my side, setting his hand on the back of my chair and leaning towards me. "Don't be such a spoil-sport."

"No, really, I'm okay just watching."

"No you're not." He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my chair, smiling down at me.

I glared up at him. "Yeah, I am."

He flashed me a grin. "How 'bout this, then," He turned to Nicky. "How would you like to see a _real_ spaceship?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." I mumbled under my breath, prying my arm away from his gentle grip. "Do you really wanna show a five-year-old a spaceship?"

"Exactly, Catherine, he's five, no one's gonna believe him." He reasoned, tucking his hands in his pockets and leaning ever closer. "Plus, I trust him. Don't you?"

I glared up at him, but the glare itself didn't last long. His puppy-dog-face was even more convincing than Nicky's. His brown eyes were just so… big.

With a sigh, my head fell forward. "Fine…" I frowned as my resolve crumbled. "Nothing dangerous, though."

He grinned and winked. "Never. C'mon, Nicky boy!" He turned and ran out of the kitchen, towards the sliding-door. I smiled and followed him, grabbing Nicky's small hand on the way.

"Auntie Cat?" Nicky tugged at my hand as we walked outside together. "Is the nice man a _space man_?"

I smiled down at him. "Yeah, and he has the coolest spaceship _ever_."

"Cooler than the Mill…" He paused at the long word he struggled with again. "Mill… Millen… Millennium Falcon?"

"Yup."

His eyes lit up and he raced forward, off of the patio and onto the green grass of my back yard. He looked around, and the smile on his face dropped. I didn't understand why, the TARDIS was where it had been for the past few days.

"Where is the nice man's spaceship?" Nicky asked, looking up at me with disappointed eyes.

I pointed at the TARDIS. "Right there."

He blinked. "The blue crate?"

I nodded.

He frowned. "It doesn't look like a spaceship."

"Wait 'til you see the inside." I tugged on his hand and we started to head towards the large blue box in the middle of my lawn. He seemed to not believe it was a spaceship, and my mind wandered back to thinking that showing him this was a bad idea. What if it was too much for him? I knew kids had beliefs and stuff, but not Nicky. He'd never believed in Santa or the Tooth Fairy or anything like that, but he _did_ believe in aliens for some reason. Then again, most people did these days.

Finally, we reached the doors of the TARDIS, and I released his hand and stepped back. "Go ahead." I gestured to the doors.

Nicky looked back at me, and then proceeded to push the doors open before stepping inside. He stared straight forwards for a second, and then turned to face me. "I told you it was a spaceship, Auntie Cat!" He grinned and turned again, running straight to the Console.

I smiled and followed my nephew, shutting the doors behind me. As I climbed the three steps to the Console, I watched the Doctor lift Nicky by his underarms and hold him tightly against his chest, allowing the small boy a better view of all of the controls.

The floor hummed, and I looked around the TARDIS with a grin on my face.

"What was that?" Nicky asked, looking at the Doctor over his shoulder. "Why'd it buzz?"

The Doctor smiled and glanced my way. "She really likes your aunt."

I rolled my eyes and threw myself onto the white seat against the railing. I then watched as the Doctor carried my nephew around the Console, naming different controls and parts. I heard words like 'zigzag plotter' and 'friction contrifibulator' and knew that Nicky didn't understand half of the things he was saying, but he didn't care. He was just happy to see a real spaceship.

After a few minutes of telling Nicky what he could and couldn't touch, the Doctor set him on the ground and let him run around the room. After making sure Nicky wasn't pressing any buttons that would blow up the ship or something, he paced over and tossed himself onto the seat beside me.

"I like your nephew." He told me, lifting his feet and setting it on the edge of the Console.

"I can tell." I smiled. "You have no idea how much this means to him. He's always wanted to build a spaceship and go out into the stars and defeat aliens."

"Oh, trust me, I know all about that plan…" He mumbled. I don't think he wanted me to hear that, but I did anyways. My bad sight made my ears sharp.

"What was that?" I gently threw my elbow into his side.

"Nothing!" He squeaked.

I smiled and watched as Nicky ran around the Console, pretending to poke buttons and push levers while making the same whooshing sound he'd been making while playing with the Lego Millennium Falcon. I wasn't sure what it was, but the TARDIS was sort of giving off a feeling. There was a steady vibration beneath me, but I could barely feel it. Sort of like it was purring.

"Why is she doing that?" I asked, shifting on the seat.

"Well," He mumbled, pulling out his glasses and placing them on his nose. "If there's one thing no one else knows about the TARDIS, it's that she's rather fond of children." He smiled over at Nicky. "It's been a while since she's seen one."

My brow furrowed. "Care to clarify?"

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as he threw his arms over the back of the seat. "I had a…" He trailed off, tucking his chin into his collarbone as he cleared his throat. "My granddaughter. I had a granddaughter."

Now my brow jumped. "_You_ had a _granddaughter_?"

He nodded, but kept his chin close to him. "Susan, her name was."

I smiled. "You don't _look_ old enough to have grandchildren."

He looked over at me with this little amused smile that made him look like someone had told him a really dirty joke and it's all he could think about. "You have _no_ idea."

I smirked and pulled my legs up to fold them beneath me. "Alright, then," I mumbled, leaning towards him. "Give me an idea."

He smirked now and moved to sit just as I was, his legs crossed. "I'm nine-hundred-and-six."

"Liar."

He looked like I'd just kicked his puppy. "No, really, I am!" He protested, his voice raising several vocals to a rather annoying whine.

"Prove it." I shot at him.

He smirked and scooted closer to me. He raised his hands and grabbed my face, his fingers gently poking my cheekbones and scalp through my straight brown hair. He leaned forward until he was at eye-level with me, and stared into my dark hazel eyes through the lenses of his glasses.

"You're clever, brilliant in fact," He mumbled. "So tell me," He leaned forward again ever so slightly. "What's wrong with my eyes?"

I reached up and pulled the glasses from his face, allowing me a decent look at the strange brown orbs in front of me. "Nothing," I shook my head. "They're just a bit odd, that's all."

"Yes, but what _makes_ them odd?"

As I folded the glasses in my hands, I stared into his eyes. They were brown, but that wasn't exactly what I saw. Sure, that's how my brain registered it, but I saw something else. I hadn't really been looking for anything when I'd looked into his eyes before. Now, though, I did. Now that I was actually looking, I saw _exactly_ what I was looking for.

"Old…" I mumbled, keeping my eyes locked with his out of astonishment. "Your eyes are old…"

"There you go," He smiled and released my head from his gentle grip. "Knew you'd figure it out."

"Really… really old…"

"Alright, point made," He mumbled as he grabbed his glasses.

"Like, super old…"

He grabbed my chin. "You can shut up now."

I blinked. "Oh, right, sorry," I smiled. "You look pretty good for nine-hundred-and-six."

After placing his glasses back on his nose, he began straightening his tie and smiled at me boyishly. "Thanks."

"Any time." I nodded, and then looked back to Nicky. He was watching the two of us talking over the edge of the Console. As he saw that he was caught, he grinned and sank to the floor on the opposite side of the large machine. After a moment, I heard a giggle and then the sound of him whispering to the time ship. I glanced at the Doctor. "Is that why you're so good with kids?" I asked. "Because of your granddaughter?"

He released a deep breath. "I've been a dad before. A couple of times, actually. I had a daughter just recently. Jenny."

"Where is she now?"

He got that serious look again, and his lips thinned. "She's gone."

After thinking about that for a moment, I realized exactly what 'gone' meant. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.

He shook his head. "Nah," His smiled was strained, but a smile nonetheless. "It's not like you killed her."

I raised my arm and held it up to my face, acting as if I were Dracula covering half of my face with a cape. "Or did I?" I asked in a playful (and obviously fake) Romanian accent.

He grinned. "Alright, that's not funny," That's what he said, but I could hear the laughter behind the words.

I smiled and got to my feet. "Total change of topic, but do you have the time?"

He shot me a look, as if I'd asked the world's most ridiculous question. "We're in a time machine."

I thought for a moment. "Oh, right, no time in the time machine." I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, this thing's amazing but you can't bother to get a wall clock? C'mon, Nicky, time for lunch!" With that, I turned and strode purposefully out of the TARDIS.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I'd just barely finished cleaning up breakfast when the doorbell rang. The Doctor and Nicky had thrown themselves onto the couch upon finishing their waffles (the only food I'd found the Doctor didn't hate) and turned on the TV. I'd grumbled about being rude when neither had offered to help clean off the table, but soon got over it and listened as the Doctor once again corrected scientists and experts.<p>

"Nicky, that'll be your dad!" I called as I tossed the last of the dishes into my dishwasher. "Pack up your things!"

"Okay, Auntie Cat!"

I smiled as I ran out of the kitchen and straight to my front door, quickly pulling the door open. Before me stood my older brother, Ian.

Ian looked a lot like my father, with the exception of my mother's bright blue eyes. He was decently tall, and the way he styled his brown hair added on a few extra inches. His skin was extremely tan, seeing as he and Morgan often spent weekends at their beach-side home in Hawaii. He sported a slight beard now, which showed off his strong jaw. As always, he was dressed in one of his expensive Armani suits, shoes and all.

"Cat." He grinned and held out his hand, waiting for me to shake it.

With a roll of my eyes, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. "Really, you're _way_ too professional."

He chuckled in my ear and squeezed me tightly. "Oh, it's good to see you."

"You too."

He gently pushed me away and kissed my forehead. "Did he get his ship finished?"

I nodded, and then faltered. "Well, sort of." I mumbled. "I mean, it's done."

He flashed me a look. "Sort of?"

"Well-"

"Daddy!"

I turned to watch Nicky drop his backpack and run into his father's waiting arms. Ian lifted his son off of his feet and spun him around. They did this every time, and even though it was adorable it was starting to get on my nerves.

Nicky still cradled in his arms, Ian looked down at his son with a smile on his face. "Did you have fun?"

My nephew nodded enthusiastically. "The nice man helped me finish my spaceship!"

Ian's smile suddenly fell. "The nice man?" He leaned through the door and stared at the Doctor, who was now sitting upside-down on the couch.

The Doctor grinned, his face red as blood rushed through his body to get to his head. "Hello again!"

Ian nodded, and turned to me. "Would you grab Nicky's bag?" He asked.

I nodded, grabbed my nephew's bag, and followed my brother out into the driveway. When we reached their Bentley, he set Nicky on the ground and helped him into the back seat of the luxury vehicle. Once the door was shut, he turned to me.

"I got an email from mom yesterday," He mumbled, pulling out his Blackberry. "Apparently Adam got a week home. She's going up to the lake with him and Maddy for a few days, and we're going to head up there on Monday. Do you think you'll join us?"

I thought for a moment, and then shook my head. "No," I smiled up at my elder brother. "I don't think I can leave that moron alone in my house for even a minute."

Ian's eyebrows jumped. "He's staying with you?"

"For the time being."

Ian smirked. "Well, in that case, bring him along,"

I laughed. "No, no, he's not really the… beach type…"

Ian smiled. "Well, I hope you change your mind." He grabbed me and pulled me into another hug, lifting me off the ground as he nearly squeezed my guts out. "Love you." He set me on the ground and paced to the other side of the car. "And mom'll be hearing about that boyfriend of yours!"

I blinked, confused as to what the hell he was talking about. Suddenly, it snapped. "Oh, no," I mumbled as he pulled the door open and he hopped inside. "He's not my-"

The door slammed shut and the car turned on.

"Boyfriend…"

I sighed and watched as Nicky waved to me through the window, a bright smile on his face. I couldn't help but to smile and wave back. I jumped as the Doctor walked up beside me and waved as well.

After the car disappeared around the corner, I turned to the Doctor. "You told my brother your name was John Smith?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"And he thinks you're a normal guy?"

He nodded again. "Yeah."

I took a deep breath. "Sounds like we need to go shopping for some clothes that don't-" I reached up and tugged at his tie. "Um, stick out so much."

He nodded. "Right." As I turned and walked back towards the house, he froze. "Wait, shopping?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First of all, a big thanks to Spirit-of-the-Rain for all of her help and giving me a good laugh! **

**Second of all, I finished this story last night. Yes, it's done, but I'm still not going to post it all at once. I have a sequel to get well into before I can do that. Anyways, the story ended up being seventeen chapters long with an added epilogue that I haven't written yet and will most likely be rather short. The sequel, I think, will only about ten chapters in total. Then again, I haven't even_ started_ writing that, so I can't be sure. Hell, it could come out thirty chapters (though highly unlikely)!**

**So, in the next chapter, I believe Cat and the Doctor go shopping... You should all enjoy that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too! I remember writing this one. I got stuck... Yeah, no pun intended.**

**So, thanks for reading!**

**Allons-y!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	9. Shopping with a Hot Doctor

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, or the MOA. Or Aeropostale, for that matter.**

* * *

><p>"Mom, I-"<p>

"No, Catherine, I wanna meet this boy!"

"But he's not-"

"End of discussion, you're bringing him. Now I've got to go, lots of cleaning to do. Love you, sweetheart!" She hung up and a long, annoying tone echoed in my ear.

With a sigh, I pressed the 'end call' button and set the phone back down on its hook. I ran my hand over my face and slumped out of my kitchen, throwing myself onto the couch beside the Doctor. The TV was on the Discovery channel, but he wasn't watching. He was staring at me with a curious look on his speckled face.

"How do you feel about lakes?" I asked, staring at the screen.

"Lakes?"

"Yeah, lakes," I turned to him. "Y'know, bodies of water bigger than a pond and smaller than an ocean."

He shot me a look. "I know what a lake is, Catherine."

"Then how do you feel about them?"

He looked around like he was about to tell me a secret no one else could hear, and then shrugged. "I don't know, they're… nice… I guess…"

I nodded. "In that case, we're going shopping today."

"Oh, in that case, I hate them."

"Listen, we're going either way," I mumbled, pulling my legs up to sit Indian-style. "I love my mom, but it's not smart to disobey her. Plus, who knows, it could be fun."

"Oh, no, the lake sounds great," He grinned. "Meet the rest of the family, act like a normal bloke, great! It's the shopping I'm not looking forward to."

I smiled amusedly. "Normal 'blokes' don't wear suits when they're at the lake." I reached out and tugged at his lapel. "Have you ever tried wearing a tee-shirt?"

"Oi!" He straightened his tie. "Don't knock the suit."

I rolled my eyes. "I like the suit, really, it's just not normal for a guy to wear one all the time," I told him. "Especially with _trainers_." I grabbed the back if his knee and lifted his leg, gesturing to his shoe.

"I like my trainers!" He whined.

I smiled. "Me too, but it's still not normal."

He groaned. "How many days are you going to separate me from my suits?"

"Only a few," I mumbled, patting his arm. "Just a couple, and to make up for it, I'll even buy you a new suit."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, folding his arms across his chest. "Including new trainers?"

I chuckled and got to my feet, grabbing his arm to pull him with me. "Sure, but we've gotta leave now because it's an hour drive to the mall."

"Mall? I like malls. Not as much as I like shops, though. Especially little ones. I love a little shop! Can't stand actual _shopping_, though."

I rolled my eyes as he started rambling and pulled him towards the door, grabbing my wallet, keys and phone from the small table next to it. I tugged him onto the driveway and over to my car, leaving him at the passenger side. I then walked around to the driver's side and hopped in.

"And they didn't have a little shop and I told them a little shop does some people a world of good, but they said hospitals were a place of healing. And they were cats! Never found the joy in cats again…"

I smiled as I drowned out his rambling with the hum of the engine and started to back down the driveway.

* * *

><p>"The Mall of America?" The Doctor squinted at the large sign hanging over some equally large glass doors.<p>

"You've been here before, right?" I asked, locking my car before pacing over to stand next to him.

He shook his head. "I prefer Britain."

"Well, that explains the accent."

He smiled and tucked his hands in his pockets. "I've heard about it a couple of times, never actually been though." He turned to me. "Is it really as big as they say it is?"

I nodded. "It's huge. Used to be one of my favorite places as a kid." I grinned. "My dad brought me here once when I was two. We left mom and Ian at home and spent the entire day just running around."

"Well then," The Doctor reached out and grabbed my hand, threading his fingers through mine. "Let's go do the same, shall we?" He grinned and pulled me towards the doors.

I smiled as we walked through the parking lot and doors. He stopped as we found ourselves in one of many crowded hallways. People passed us, all of their voices mingling and creating noise. None of them even noticed the odd way he was looking around, like a kid in a candy shop.

"Oh, look at all the little shops…" He sighed, grinning down at me.

I chuckled and started pulling him towards Aeropostale. Sure, Aeropostale was quite a bit of a leap from his suits and trainers, but it was all I could think of. Plus, if he was going to ditch the suits for a few days, he might as well stay in style.

As we found the shop and stepped inside, I immediately started searching for something lake-appropriate. Tee-shirts, shorts, sandals, things like that. As I sorted through racks of men's clothing, I tried to picture the Doctor dressed like a normal guy. I say tried because I actually couldn't. My imagination was pretty large, but the Doctor in a tee-shirt didn't seem right.

I pulled a sea-foam-green shirt off the rack and held it out in front of his torso. "What do you think?" I asked, smirking up at his extremely unhappy face. "Too small?"

He snatched it from my hands. "Where's the dressing room?"

I grinned cheekily and pointed to my right, towards two doors. With one final glare, he turned and strode towards them, almost literally having to duck through the one with the word 'men' painted on it. While he changed, I turned back to the rack, picking out a few more tees and a few long sleeved shirts. Then, I went to wait beside the doors.

After a few moments, he came out of the dressing room in his jacket and tie, and not the tee-shirt I'd been waiting for.

"Was it too small?" I asked, a hint of disappointment in my voice.

"No."

"Oh, then was it too big?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you wearing it?"

He shrugged. "Didn't think I had to."

I glared. "Well, you thought wrong," I turned him around and pushed him through the door. "Go put it on again, and don't come back with that jacket on."

I heard him mumble something British and rude, and couldn't help but to grin. Upsetting him was fun.

As I waited for him to come out again, I roamed the section of the wall that held women's jeans. I didn't normally buy jeans from here, but it couldn't hurt to look. Plus, he was taking a while in there.

"So clingy…" I turned from the jeans to see the Doctor standing there in the sea-foam shirt, tugging at the collar. "And cold."

I must say, seeing him without his jacket and tie was a bit odd, but it wasn't a bad thing. In fact, he looked pretty good. His regular attire suited him better, but the tee-shirt did give him a certain sort of… appeal.

"Well, you do wear layers all the time," I pointed out. "You must've gotten used to the heat."

He sneered. "Do I _really_ have to wear this?"

I nodded with yet another cheeky grin. "And these." I shoved the other shirts I'd found into his chest. "Just go make sure they fit." I turned him once again and pushed him through the door. "And hurry up!" As I turned to face the rest of the store, I found that a woman looking through a rack of clearance hoodies was staring at me, as if I were insane. I just grinned and went back to ignoring my surroundings.

Soon enough, the Doctor came back out with all of the shirts on his arm. "They all fit…" He grumbled, straightening his tie with a frown on his speckled face.

"Great, then we'll take them." I grabbed his arm and weaved through all of the racks and tables, eventually finding ourselves at the counter in the center of the store. There was a young woman there, talking on a cell phone as she played with her straightened blond hair. She completely ignored me, but when she saw the Doctor she immediately mumbled something into the phone and hung up.

"Afternoon…" She smiled, showing off a row of gleaming white teeth. Of course, the Doctor barely acknowledged her, still a bit grumpy from having to try on things that weren't suits.

I felt bad for her. If he hadn't been in such a bad mood, she might've had a chance. She sure was pretty enough. So, out of pity, I offered her a smile. "Sorry, he's in a bit of a bad mood,"

She seemed surprised that I was there, but smiled anyways. "How can I help?"

I set the clothes on the counter, and she started to ring them up. As I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket, I glanced at the Doctor. His hands were hidden in his pockets, and he looked like he was about ready to bite something. Then, I turned back to the young woman and set my credit card on the counter. She shoved everything into a plastic bag, swiped my card, and printed out my receipt, jotting something down on it before throwing it in the bag and holding it out to me.

"Have a nice day." She glanced at the Doctor, biting her lip in a very flirtatious way.

I nodded and grabbed the bag, pulling the Doctor away from the counter. We weaved through the racks and tables again, and then stepped back into the crowded halls of the MOA.

"What d'you say? Lunch?" I asked, smiling up at him.

He sighed. "Might as well."

"Are you gonna be grumpy all day?" I asked, jabbing my elbow into his ribs. "'Cause if you are, we can just go home."

He looked down at me, sighed again, and then smiled. "Nah," He reached out and took the bag from me. "Let's go find that food court."

* * *

><p>"So, just gonna warn you, my mom's convinced you're my boyfriend." I mumbled, raising my cup to my lips and sucking a giant gulp of Dr. Pepper through my straw.<p>

The Doctor froze and blinked. "Boyfriend?"

I nodded. "Yup."

"Where'd she get that idea?"

"Ian."

His brow jumped. "Where'd _he_ get that idea?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, probably the fact that you're practically living with me." I used my chopsticks to pick up a piece of sesame chicken from my plastic tray.

"I'm not _living with you_." He objected, dipping a french-fry in barbeque sauce. "I'm a guest who's staying in your back yard."

I snorted, chicken almost coming out of my nose. "Let's just say you're a guest."

He grinned and tossed the fry into his mouth. "Want a chip?" He held a fry out to me.

My brow furrowed. "Chip? That's a french-fry."

"No," He whined, looking at the fry in his hand. "It's a chip. Look." He pushed it closer to my face. "See, chip."

I started to correct him, and then realized the confusion. "Oh, wait, I'm American. We call them fries over here."

He blinked. "But it's a chip!"

I rolled my eyes and took the 'chip' from him, tossing it in my mouth. I grinned and leaned back in my chair, looking around the food court. If I were here with Riley, we'd be scoping for cute guys, but with the Doctor is was more of a casual look around. However, a couple of girls caught my eye. They kept glancing our way, and giggled every now and then.

Suddenly, I remembered that the cashier at Aeropostale had been smitten with the man before me, and had written something on the receipt. I leaned forward and reached into the bag, pulling the thin piece of paper out of the bag and scanning the surface.

"Y'know, I think that girl at Aeropostale had a thing for you." I smirked, looking up from the receipt.

His brow furrowed. "What d'you mean?" He asked, throwing another fry into his mouth.

A devious look came to my face, and I pushed my glasses further up on my nose. "'For the cute guy in the suit,'" I read. "'Here's my number, call me and maybe I can get you a discount.' Then she lists her number with a little wink-y face."

He blinked. "Why would she give me her phone number?"

Now it was my turn to blink. Was he really that clueless? "'Cause she likes you…?" I mumbled slowly.

"Why would she like me?"

My brow jumped. He was kidding, right? I mean, he couldn't be that innocent. No one, especially not a man his age, was that innocent. It just wasn't possible. And he was so… cocky, always going on about how brilliant he was. Did he really not believe he was attractive?

I shook my head. "Well, you're _not_ a bad looking guy." I mumbled, stabbing another piece of chicken and popping it in my mouth.

He smirked. "Oh, so you like what you see?"

I almost choked on my chicken. "What?"

The smirk on his face grew and he grabbed my soda, taking a sip. "Just kidding."

I nodded and looked away, the odd feeling that had jumped in my stomach fading a bit. Despite his beliefs, I actually _did_ like what I saw. I found him very attractive, but that's all it was. He was just a really hot friend of mine. A really, _really _hot friend.

"Catherine, are you alright?"

I blinked and nodded. "Um, yeah, fine," I mumbled, admiring the way his hair was falling in front of his eyes. "I'm done, are you?" He nodded. "Alright, um, let's go. You still need some shorts and a pair of sandals."

He shot me a concerned look, but nodded anyways and helped me clear the table. Once we'd thrown everything into the trash bin, we set off again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, this is, like, what? Three days early? Yeah, well, I got excited and just _had_ to post something. Everything's going smoothly on my end. I've just finished Stuck completely, epilogue and all, and started working on the sequel. Oh, I can't wait for you to read it! I've got some really great things planned. With the help of Spirit-of-the-Rain, of course. **

**Speaking of, a thanks to Spirit-of-the-Rain for editing and criticizing! Oh, and for all of the wonderful ideas, as well. I couldn't do it without you!**

**So, she's physically attracted to him now. I know, you're all going 'HOW COULD SHE NOT HAVE NOTICED HIS SEXINESS BEFORE?' and I completely agree with you. Let's just say Cat's a bit... sexually unaware. I believe that's the correct term. What did you all think about grumpy Doctor? I must say, I think he's adorable. Like a little, really skinny teddy bear that needs some love. **

**Now, I have a question for all of you. Just out of pure curiosity. And here it is:**

**If you could go anywhere and anytime with our dear Doctor, where and when would you go? **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Allons-y!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	10. The Family

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I do own David Tennant. Sorry, Georgia Moffet. (obviously just joking)**

* * *

><p>Two days after our little shopping trip, the Doctor (who was dressed like a normal guy) and I were shoving bags into small back seat of my Corvette. It was early, even for me. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, sending a slightly golden-blue haze across the block. It was enough light to see, but every now and then I'd have to squint into a shadow to find out what was there.<p>

After about fifteen minutes, everything we needed (which wasn't much) was piled in and we were ready to leave. Of course, I was driving. After that one time to the Hunters' Inn, I wasn't letting him _touch_ my steering wheel… with a ten-foot pole… ever.

"Why can't I drive?" He whined over the roof of my car, pulling the door open.

"Because I'd rather not completely wreck my beautiful, expensive car." I mumbled, pulling my own door open and hopping in.

He grinned. "You make me sound like a bad driver."

I smiled and shook my head, jamming my keys into the ignition. He hopped in, and pulled the seatbelt across his shoulder before clicking it into its little hub. Then, he turned to me.

"So," His face became rather serious. "Tell me about your mother so I can impress her when I meet her."

I snorted. "Are you serious?"

He dropped the serious look, and instead seemed upset. "Yeah…" His voice raised itself several octaves.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't try to impress her. You're you, and if she doesn't like it that's her problem." I turned around as I started to back out of the driveway. "And she shouldn't have a problem with you, because she's my mom and she likes everyone."

"Oh," He calmed a bit, leaning back in his seat. "That's good. That _is_ good, right? Of course it's good, why wouldn't it be?"

I smiled and listened to his ramblings. "I should tell you about Adam, though."

He paused and focused all of his attention on me, setting his elbow on the little thing between our seats and setting his chin in his hand.

"He's a soldier."

The Doctor frowned and moved to lean back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest and looking out the window. I knew he'd react this way.

"I know you don't like men with guns, but he's a great guy." I mumbled. "He's only here for a week, and then he's going back to Iraq. Please try to be nice."

He didn't say anything, just made a 'humph' sort of sound and kept staring out the window. I knew that this conversation was closed and he wasn't listening anymore. Instead of trying to force him into talking again, I sighed and reached out to turn on the radio. As music started to softly pour from the stereos around the car, I focused on the road and three hours of driving ahead.

The minute I opened my door, I felt a swarm of mosquitoes race to me and nip at my skin. I hated the stupid things, as most people did, but I could live with them. They really liked me for some reason. Ever since I was a kid, I'd been bitten more times than the average person every summer.

With a heavy sigh, I slammed the door shut and looked at the smallish cabin and guesthouse in front of me. It had been a good two years since I'd last been here, and I could honestly say that I'd missed it. We used to come here every summer for the Fourth of July, but we'd stopped when Adam had decided to join the army.

"Auntie Cat! Space Doctor!"

I pulled myself out of my mind and grinned as Nicky came lumbering towards me. I lifted my nephew off the ground and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Did he just call me 'Space Doctor'?" The Doctor asked, stumbling over to me as he tried to figure out how flip-flops worked.

I nodded. "It works, doesn't it?"

He shrugged, and smiled when Nicky leaped from my arms to his. He happily hugged the little boy, and released him only when his father came tromping out of the cabin.

"Cat! Good to see you out of that house of yours!" Ian yelped as he strode across the dying grass to us and wrapped me in a bear hug. He released me and turned to the Doctor. "Mr. Smith, good to see you as well." They shook each other's hand.

I looked past my brother as Morgan, his beautiful wife, pushed her way out of the door.

Morgan was a smart woman with long, strawberry-blond hair, which she gave to Nicky. Her blue eyes matched Ian's, so she'd technically given Nicky that, too. Her skin was tan thanks to the beachside house in Hawaii, and it stretched beautifully over her high cheekbones and forehead. I'd always been jealous of her flawless looks.

"Cat!" She smiled as she gracefully strode to me and wrapped her arms around my tiny frame.

I smiled and returned the hug. "You look great, Mo."

"Thank you." She released me and flipped her hair over her shoulder, her icy blue eyes glinting as she reached out and brushed my normally side-swept bangs to the side. "Did you get a haircut?"

I nodded. "A few since I last saw you."

She glanced back at Ian and 'John' and leaned towards me. "Who's the guy?" She asked, flashing me a wink. "He's kinda cute."

I grinned. "And British."

"You're kidding!"

I shook my head.

"A gorgeous British boyfriend! Jeez, you've been busy."

I blinked. "Oh, no, he's not my boyfriend."

"But Ian told me-"

"Yeah, Ian jumped to conclusions. He's just a friend." I explained. "I only brought him along because Mom wouldn't let me leave him behind. Well, that and I don't trust him to be in my house on his own."

"He's living with you? What are you, roommates?" She asked.

I smirked slightly, hiding it from her carefully. "Something like that."

"Catherine!"

I spun and found my mother standing on the steps, a smile on her aging face.

"Mom!" I gasped as I turned and ran to her, throwing myself into her waiting arms. I hadn't seen her in weeks, and I was glad to see her again. I'd missed her hugs.

"Oh, it's wonderful to see you, sweetheart." She tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear as she pushed me away gently, grabbing my face between her frail hands. "Now, introduce me to your boyfriend."

"Mom, he's not-"

"No, introduce me."

I sighed, grabbed her hands from my face and pulled her over to where the Doctor was talking to Ian, trying his hardest not to correct him on how the world would end. I could tell it was hard for him because he was literally biting his tongue.

I smiled. "Mom, this is the-" I stopped myself. "I mean, this is _John_."

She reached out to shake his waiting hand, but shot me an odd look.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Mrs. Black!" The Doctor grinned, holding her hand tightly in both of his as he leaned forward so she wouldn't be uncomfortable. The height comparison between the two was shocking.

"Oh, um, indeed," She mumbled, obviously a little surprised that my 'boyfriend' was so outgoing. "You as well."

"Careful, babe,"

I turned around again to see my younger brother Adam and his girlfriend Maddy slowly making their way out of the cabin. His large, strong soldier arm was wrapped around her fragile neck, and her thin arm was around his waist trying to hold him up. It was then that I noticed the cast on his leg.

"What happened?" I yelped, running over to help Maddy with the impossible task of supporting my muscle-y brother.

Adam threw his free arm around my neck thankfully, and then smiled down at me. "It was just an accident at the base, Cat," He leaned over to press a kiss to my temple. "In fact, you should be happy I got it. It's the only reason they gave me the week off."

I frowned, but didn't say anything else as I helped him over to where everyone else was standing. As the Doctor caught sight of my younger brother, he frowned, but otherwise held his tongue. I knew he didn't like soldiers, but he'd have to… soldier through it. Oh, I'm never going to become a standup comedian.

"So, this is your boyfriend?" Adam asked as he jerked his head towards the Doctor.

I groaned. "Alright, let's get this straight right now. We're not in a relationship. He's just a friend that's sort of staying with me for a while."

Adam smirked. "Cat, you brought him to meet your _family_ at the _family_ lake house."

"Only because Mom wouldn't let me leave him home!" I objected. I suddenly realized I was being rude. Really, I was spending _way_ too much time with him. "No offense."

"Oh, no, none taken." He tucked his hands into his pockets. "I would've rather _stayed_ home." He looked around at my family. "No offense."

They all smiled at me, as if approving him. I knew they weren't, though. They all needed to get to know him before they would fully understand how fantastic he was.

After a few moments of silence, I spoke up. "Well, I'll get him settled in the guesthouse. You guys go do whatever it is you were doing." I waved them off, and grabbed the Doctor's sleeve to pull him back to the car. We started to pull things out of the backseat, but once everyone was back inside he paused and threw his elbow into my shoulder.

"You almost called me the Doctor." He smirked, looking rather cheeky.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I don't normally call you John," I mumbled, throwing a suitcase at him. "Plus, you're clever, you'd come up with some lie to explain it." I grabbed his other bag and slammed the door of my car shut. He grinned, and followed me as I began to walk towards the guesthouse.

I didn't understand why we had a guesthouse. We never actually had guests, so it mostly served as storage for when it rained. It wasn't huge, just a small two bedroom cabin that didn't even have a bathroom. It looked a lot bigger than it actually was, though, because it was connected to the sauna.

I threw the bag at the Doctor and leaned down to reach into the small hole on the wooden porch, fishing out the key we hid down there. I stood up again and pulled the screen door open before jamming the key into the lock on the actual door. I pushed the door open, and held it open so the Doctor could trip inside.

"Alright, this is the living room, and you can use the bedroom on the left," I mumbled, snatching the suitcase and bag from him like a good host and pulling them over to the doorway that led to his temporary bedroom. "If you have to use the bathroom, you'll have to come inside 'cause there isn't one in here." I turned to catch him holding a picture frame, staring at it with curious eyes.

After a few moments, he realized I was staring at him and set it down. "Sorry,"

I shook my head. "You didn't do anything wrong, Doctor."

"But, I thought-"

"It's a photo," I mumbled, frowning slightly as I interrupted. "It's there to be seen."

He stared at me for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "Right, of course," He nodded his head quickly and without purpose, knowing that he in fact _had_ done something wrong.

"I'll leave you to unpack." With that, I headed towards the door, only risking a single glance at the photograph of me and my father.

* * *

><p>I could hear everyone else laughing close to the cabin, trying to start up a fire. After the Doctor had pointed out the picture I hadn't seen for years, I'd started to back away from everyone else and wallow in self-pity. I wasn't proud of myself for doing it, but I did it anyways. So, in order to get away from all of the noise, I'd trudged out to the dock that harbored my family's many boats.<p>

I sighed as my feet moved in consecutive circles through the murky water. My flip-flops sat on the wood beside me, and my hands supported me from falling backwards. My face was blank. Thinking of my dad used to hurt so much I often felt like I was going to die, but that had changed. Now, I didn't feel anything. Just numb.

Suddenly, I heard a thump.

I stopped moving my feet and looked over my shoulder to find the Doctor on his knees, clinging to one of the metal poles that supported the dock.

"You alright?" I asked. I couldn't help a small smile from coming to my face.

He grinned and hopped over to drop himself onto the dock beside me. "I'm always alright!" He happily pulled his own flip-flops off and dipped his long and hairy feet into the water.

"Did you, like, trip on the planks or something?"

He sneered back at his shoes. "When can I wear my trainers again?"

I smiled, shook my head, and looked back out at the lake. The sun was setting, casting an orange reflection across the surface of the water. The hundreds of trees around the edge of the lake cast their own distorted reflection, only disturbed by the sunset fisherman and their boats.

"See that bay over there?" I asked, pointing to my left. "My dad and I used to fish there all the time. I don't remember it, but he took all sorts of video."

The Doctor was silent, but followed my finger.

"And we swam to the sandbar over there a lot." I moved my arm about ninety degrees to the right. "I had this little life jacket and these things that I put on my arms. I still have no idea what they were called." I was smiling now, but the numbness was still there. The more I thought about it, the more I could feel the sharp poke at my emotions, too.

I jumped as I felt something warm envelope my hand. Curious as to what it was, I looked down and found the Doctor's long finger's squished between mine, our palms loosely pressed against each other. I blinked and glanced up at him, but he was just staring out at the water. I stared up at him softly for a few more moments, and then did the same.

"I'm guessing you know about the plane crash," I mumbled. "The one he died in…"

He nodded. "November 5th of 1988, Black Sky Corporation's CEO dies in his own plane."

I nodded in response, and sadly bit my lip. "I was only two," I started. "I don't even remember the funeral."

He gently squeezed my hand and we sat silently.

After several moments of just enjoying his company and staring out at the setting sun shining brightly across the water, I pulled him to his feet, let him slip on his flip-flops and tugged him back towards the others.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm dedicating the next three chapters of this story to the brave men and women that serve the country I'm so luck to live in. If Adam were real, I'd hug him and never let him go. All of the men and women over-seas in Iraq and Afghanistan risk their lives, and sometimes loose them, everyday so millions of people don't have to. So, please, help me thank these amazing, wonderful people by hoping (or praying, if you are religious) for them every day and night. **

**Anyways, what'd you think? Cat's family is finally revealed! And now you know what happened to her dad. So... yeah...**

**I'm not gonna put much here this time around because I 'm actually very busy. Basketball season is in full swing and I'm back to practicing twice a week with tournaments every other weekend. It's actually why I'm posting this a day earlier than I'd planned. I've got two games tomorrow, basketball on Monday, and again on Tuesday. Yay for me, right?**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!**

**Allons-y!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	11. S'mores, Tubing, and Sexy Wet Hair

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, tubing, or s'mores. However, you can thank me for bringing you the Doctor with sexy, wet, wild hair.**

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><p>I couldn't help but notice how warm the Doctor's arm was; even through the thick fabric of his long-sleeve shirt. Sure, I had a fire in front of me nearly searing off my eyebrows, but I could distinguish the difference between fire heat and body heat. Normally, we wouldn't have been sitting so close, but this bench was just a bit too small for the both of us to have our space. Due to the lack of said space, our arms (from shoulder to elbow) and knees were pressed tightly against each others.<p>

"So, John," Morgan spoke up, cradling the glass bottle full of Mike's in her tiny hands. "What, pray tell, is it that you do for a living?"

The Doctor tensed beside me, and removed his eyes from his s'more. "Oh, um…" He hesitated with wide eyes as he started at my sister-in-law. "I'm a doctor."

"Oh, really?" Morgan asked as I subconsciously smiled at his little joke, taking a bite out of my own s'more. "Of what, medicine?"

"Oh, ah, everything, really…"

"Everything? Now, I've been around, and I've _never_ met someone who's a doctor of everything." Ian mumbled, gently cradling Nicky in his arms.

I rolled my eyes. "He's exaggerating." I smiled and glanced at the Doctor, a mischievous glint in my dark eyes. "He's a doctor of history."

"A historian?" My mother piped up. "Really?"

"Oh, um, yes, yeah, historian," The Doctor mumbled, blinking and shooting a glance my way. "Big into history…"

"Maddy's a historian." Adam mumbled, setting his clean-shaven cheek on the top of her head, messing up her gorgeous hair.

"Not yet, still going to school." She corrected, smiling as he tenderly hugged her closer. "I wanna work at the Smithsonian one day."

"Oh, the Smithsonian, great museum!" The Doctor exclaimed, taking a large bite out of his s'more. "Love that place! They got a lot wrong, though." He mumbled with his mouth full, looking upwards thoughtfully. "They really should have me in…"

I rolled my eyes and patted his knee, gaining a large and sticky-marshmallow-covered smile from him. With a smile, I looked to the rest of my family and got to my feet. "I'm going to bed," I turned my gaze to the Doctor. "You know where to find me if you need me, right?"

He nodded, and then stood. "I'll walk you to your room."

I shot him a look. "It's just inside the cabin," I mumbled. "It's not like I'm walking miles in the dark on my own."

He threw the last of his s'more into the fire, and reached up to tug at his ear. "Ah, well, better safe than sorry, right?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm, waving to my family as we proceeded towards the cabin.

"I like them." He grinned, grabbing my hand.

I nodded. "So far, it seems like they like you, too." I swung our hands, a bright smile coming to my face. "Adam's not so bad, is he?"

He frowned and shrugged.

With a sigh, I pushed the cabin door open and pulled the Doctor inside before kicking off my shoes. He did the same, and nearly fell over as I dragged him through the kitchen to the hallway. As we arrived at the door to my room, I released his hand and turned to smile at him.

"Night."

He smiled affectionately and reached up to ruffle my already fairly messy hair. "Goodnight."

Then, we turned and went our separate ways for the night.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I groggily opened my eyes and hopped out of bed. Well, I didn't really hop. I more sort of… fell. Yeah, I rolled off the edge of my bed, fell flat on my face, and then found myself rather awake. With this sudden burst of energy, I got to my feet, grabbed my glasses, and padded out into the kitchen, then into the small dining room that held nothing but a table and some chairs.<p>

At the table, I found my mother sitting on the bench, and the Doctor beside her, looking over her shoulder at a photo album.

"Morning, sweetheart," My mother mumbled as she pointed to one of the photos, not even bothering to look up at me. "This is her graduation. She was ninth in her class."

The Doctor glanced at the photo, and then grinned at me. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

I sneered. "You're one to talk."

Indeed, the Doctor did look like he'd just gotten up. Although fully dressed, his hair was a mess (even more so than normal), and his eyes had a certain look to them that made me think he was still kind of tired.

"Hm, yeah," His grin widened, and he looked back down at the photo album. Suddenly, his brow furrowed and he pressed a finger to one of the pictures I couldn't see. "Who's he?"

"Oh, that's her first boyfriend! I heard he's in prison now." My mother looked smug. "Never did like him."

"Mom!"

She smiled at me innocently. "Oh, don't act like you're not happy he's in the joint."

"I'm not!"

She ignored me, and turned to the Doctor. "Have _you_ ever been in prison?"

"Well," He started, causing me to freeze in fear. I was afraid he'd tell her the truth and she'd hate him "Not really, no."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have been in a mental institution, though."

I had the sudden urge to throw myself under a bus.

"Needed to talk to one of the patients."

Never mind.

"Oh, a friend?" My mother asked, the welcoming smile coming back to her face.

"Friend of a friend." He told her. "Kept swearing he saw witches."

I chuckled. He'd told me the story about Shakespeare and the Carrionites, and then architect of the Globe Theatre that went mad and eventually died in front of him. Somehow, he kept telling my family the truth without _actually_ telling them the truth. Definitely not the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I sighed, ignoring them as they moved on and started looking at pictures again. Instead of joining them, I turned, dragged myself through the kitchen, and eventually dropped myself back into my bed.

* * *

><p>I'd always been self-conscious. It's not that I didn't like the way I looked, I was just afraid that other people wouldn't. So, I wore baggy sweaters and jeans and didn't normally try to look nice. When it was just my family, it was fine. However, it wasn't just my family this time. The Doctor was there, too.<p>

So, because of my self-conscious nature, I wore a large tee-shirt over my bathing suit. The Doctor, who obviously didn't care what people thought about him, just wore the trunks we'd bought him. Albeit, not happily. When no one else was listening, he'd whine to me about how much he missed his suits. I pointedly ignored him, smirking in satisfaction.

Anyways, we'd been out on the lake tubing for the last half an hour. Mostly it had been Adam and Maddy in the water. They thought tubing together was romantic. I didn't know if it was or not. I always went with, and I always wore my suit, but I never actually tubed. I'd tried it once when I was nine, almost drowning myself in the process, and refused to ever go again.

As the boat slowed beside Adam and Maddy, now floating in the water after being flung wildly from the tube, the Doctor got to his feet. I watched curiously as he picked up one of the life jackets and slung it around his shoulders, clicking all of the snaps shut across his chest.

"Are you going?" I asked.

He grinned and nodded. "C'mon, grab a floating device." He picked up another life jacket and held it out to me.

I shook my head.

"Please?" He stared at me with those big brown eyes of his, and you think I'd be used to his puppy-dog-look by now. I wasn't, and I could feel my resolve crumbling beneath his gaze.

It took all of my strength to shake my head again.

"Oh, c'mon," He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, a look of amusement on his face as he tossed the jacket around my torso. "It's not like you'll drown."

"How do you know?" I asked quickly and quietly, staring down at my feet.

I'd never told him I had a fear of drowning, but I knew he had worked it out after that. He used a surprising amount of deduction, and he was right almost every single time. So, I was expecting him to ridicule and tease me for being so afraid of something that stupid.

"'Cause I'll be right there to save you."

My eyes flashed from my skinny, bare feet to his smiling face. I hadn't expected him to say that. "Promise?"

He grabbed my hand and wrapped my pinky finger in his. "Promise."

By now, I could feel the eyes of all of my family members on us. I'm sure they all thought we were a couple again. I didn't care, though. In fact, I wouldn't have really minded _actually _being in a relationship with the Doctor at that moment. I say at that moment because I was almost a hundred-percent sure he'd do something stupid to upset me later.

I took a deep breath and nodded, reluctantly pulling my pinky from his.

He grinned and almost skipped to the edge of the boat, grabbing the rope that was hooked to the tube. "You won't even have to touch the water." He pulled the tube to the edge of the boat and held onto it, waiting patiently as I slowly climbed on and cowered away from the water. Then, he hopped on beside me.

"You grab there," He tugged my hands to the felt hand-grips, one on my side and one on his. "And I'll grab here." He reached around me to grab my other hand-hold, and then gripped the last one available. Finally, he looked down at me with a gentle smile. "Allons-y!"

My brow furrowed. "What- Oh!" Suddenly, we were moving. Barely drifting, but it still scared my pants off.

"It's alright, it's alright," He murmured in my ear. "You're not drowning, see?"

"I _know_ I'm not drowning, you idiot! You have to be in the _water_ to drown!" Water made me irritable, what can I say?

We sped up, and I began to cling to the tube as if my life depended on it. In fact, in my mind, my life _did_ depend on it. The Doctor was laughing as water slapped his face, occasionally encouraging me to do the same. I ignored him, trying to elbow him off of me as we bounced around.

Ian, who was driving the boat (is driving the correct term?), took a sharp left turn, throwing the Doctor against my side.

"Get off of me!" I yelled, throwing a glare up at him.

"What?"

"I said get off!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Oh, never mind!"

He laughed, throwing his head back wildly. "Watch this!" He grinned at me. Normally, I would've smiled at how happy he was, but I was angry with him and even if he was the happiest person in the universe I would still be angry.

We hit a straightaway, and he released the hand-holds, carefully pulling himself onto his knees. At first I was afraid he was going to fall and leave me on the tube by myself, but then I got a devious idea. It took some risk, but I felt I could handle it for the sake of revenge.

So, as he howled and held his arms out, I pulled my knee up and pushed him off of the side of the tube. He tumbled and crashed into the water, and I couldn't help but smirk.

Ian slowed the boat and made a sudden turn to take us back to where the Doctor had "fallen".

"How's the water?" I called as I slowly drifted towards him, floating with a scowl on his face.

He swam over, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw the way his hair was clinging to his forehead. I couldn't help it, I'd always liked it when men got their hair wet. Then, when he reached up and brushed it all backwards, my heart began to thud loudly.

As I'd been lusting after him, I hadn't realized that he'd grabbed onto the tube. "I don't know, you tell me."

"What-?"

Suddenly, he flipped the tube and I flew into the water. As I hadn't been expecting it, I didn't have time to close my mouth or plug my nose and water surged into my lungs. My fear of drowning had been recognized, and the man that had promised to protect me was the one that had caused it. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to-

"Hey," Suddenly, I realized that I was above the water, and I only felt like I was drowning because I was holding my breath. The Doctor was in front of me, a worried look on his face as he gripped my arms. "It's alright, I'm here."

I sneered and shoved him. "That wasn't funny."

"Sorry, are you alright?"

The sneer softened to a frown, but I was still angry so I paddled my feet to turn me away from him.

"In all fairness, you pushed me first." He mumbled as he swam over in front of me again. He grabbed my face between his hands, forcing me to look up at him. "I really am sorry."

I sighed. He always knew how to get to me. "Fine, whatever, let's just get out of the water."

A gentle smile graced his face, and he released me. However, he grabbed my hand and led me over to the boat, helping Adam get me out of the water before pulling himself up. I grabbed a couple of towels as I took off my life jacket, wrapping one tightly around myself and dropping the other onto the Doctor's head.

"Thank you!" He grinned, drying his hair and making it messier than normal.

I rolled my eyes and sat at the front of the boat. A moment later, he sat beside me, his arm rubbing against mine. I didn't mind. In fact, I welcomed it. Now he just needed to wrap his arms around me so I wasn't cold anymore.

Oh, dear, what've I gotten myself into?

* * *

><p><strong>NA: So, Thanksgiving has passes. I'm actual rather happy about that. I spent three days at my grandpa's house in the tiny town of Leola, South Dakota. Never heard of it? Yeah, doesn't surprise me. That town has a population of about a hundred-and-fifty. And it's a six hour car drive, so that didn't help much.**

**Anyways, what'd you think? Cat has a thing for our dear Doctor, doesn't she? Oh yes! And it can only get worse from here. Or would that be better? Oh, grammar is confusing. I must say that the moment between Cat's mom and the Doctor, when they're looking at photos, yeah, that's my favorite. It's not really important, but I like it anyways. **

**Let's see, what else can I say? Well, I've started rewriting the first few chapters of the sequel because I didn't like them. And when I didn't feel like doing that, I wrote random kissing scenes. Yeah, I'm that obsessed. I'm thinking about maybe, possibly using one of them. Huh, maybe. **

**So, thanks for reading! I hope you're all enjoying my little story!**

**Allons-y!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	12. Hugs

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elvis, the Smartphone, or Doctor Who.**

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><p>The sun was just starting to set, and I was content. I had a book, a cold soda, and the soft bouncing of the waves below me. Plus, every now and then, I'd have something to laugh about.<p>

See, the Doctor and I had managed to commandeer the family pontoon for a few hours. While I was just enjoying being out on the lake, the Doctor was attempting to fish. He'd needed me to help him put on bait and take off fish, but he squealed and jumped every time there was a tug on his line. Exclaiming how much fun he was having, he insisted that I join him. I did, but I left the hook without bait so I wouldn't catch anything.

"So, I told him this joke that I heard from David Letterman, and he didn't get it!" The Doctor said incredulously. "I laughed 'cause I thought he was kidding, but then he told me he was serious. And that's how I found out that Elvis doesn't have a sense of humor."

"It's _so_ like you to tell a dead music icon a joke that probably won't make sense to him." I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the small print of my book.

"That joke makes sense to everyone!"

"Oh, then what was it about?"

"Stupid uses of Smartphone apps."

I snorted and raised my eyes from my book, throwing him a look. "Smartphone?"

"Yeah, a Smartphone-" It suddenly dawned on him. "Oh…Whoops…"

"Oh, poor old Elvis," I mumbled, looking back down at the happenings of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. "He must've gone around asking people what the hell a Smartphone was…"

"Oh, trust me. That was a much better mistake than when I told Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about the atomic bomb."

"You did _what_?"

He grinned and threw a wink my way, then set down his pole and tossed himself onto the bench-seat-thing beside me. "What are you reading? Something brilliant, I'm guessing."

I rolled my eyes and continued reading. He didn't need me to tell him, he'd figure it out eventually.

"Pride and Prejudice? Really?"

I slammed the book shut and turned to him. "Says the man who keeps Superman comics in his library."

"There's nothing wrong with Superman!"

"Yeah, but in a _library_?" I was smiling by now. I loved having arguments with him, especially over things as stupid as Superman. On occasion, I actually beat him. "Especially one like yours."

He stuck his tongue out at me in a childish gesture that he didn't have a comeback. With a roll of my eyes, I opened my book back up and looked down to start reading again. The Doctor didn't move, and soon started reading over my shoulder. His warm breath was tickling my neck, and he was creating a shadow that made it extremely hard to see the words.

"Hypocrite." I mumbled, elbowing him.

"Closet romantic." He retorted.

I smiled and shook my head. "Let's head in, it's almost dinner time." I shut the book and got to my feet.

He nodded and also stood, moving to pack up the fishing-pole he'd been neglecting for the past few minutes. While he reeled in his line and took care in removing the worm he had attached to his hook, I reeled in my own and threw it in a corner. I then grabbed my book and sat in the swiveling chair at the steering wheel. Eventually, he threw his pole in the same general direction as mine (I had a feeling I'd be digging his hook out of one of the leather seats later) and sat down.

I steered us in, almost crashing the pontoon about five times in the process. However, I did manage to get it back in one piece. And when I did, I found Adam standing on the dock, waiting with his back straight as he stared down at his foot.

"Catch anything?" He asked with a pleasant smile.

I nodded and I jumped onto the dock, making some of the wooden planks bend. "Not me, but he caught a bunch." I jerked my head towards the Doctor.

Adam nodded. "You fish much, John?"

The Doctor shook his head, keeping his mouth shut.

"Oh…" Adam turned to me. "Mom needs you to help with dinner."

"'Kay,"

"John, would you mind helping me with something?"

The Doctor looked a bit skeptical, but nodded. "Sure."

I looked back and forth between the two of them, but then turned on my heel. "See you in a bit, then." I shot the Doctor a look over my shoulder that said "be nice" before running down the dock and onto the shore. I jogged past the thicket of trees and then took a sharp turn so I could watch them. Adam was nice enough, but I wanted to make sure that the Doctor wasn't too snotty.

As I hid, I watched the Doctor help Adam up onto the boat. They exchanged a few words that I couldn't hear, and then the Doctor frowned. Adam offered a smile and continued talking, to which the Doctor kept shaking his head. Finally, Adam shut up, and listened to what the Doctor had to say. Then, Adam's smile fell. Now, they both looked really serious, and I was sure their topic was too. Deciding that I didn't want to get caught spying, I turned around and ran for the cabin.

I pushed through the door and into the kitchen to find my mother standing at the counter, a large knife in her hand.

"You wanted me?" I asked as I skipped to her side, a smile on my face.

She turned to me with a smile the same as mine. Seriously, I got the shape of my mouth from her. "Yes, would you mind taking over the meatballs?"

With a nod I'd slipped to the stove and pulled the top off of the large pan that the meatballs were simmering in. I grabbed a spatula and started to roll the deliciously spiced balls of meat around the bottom of the pan, trying to make them perfectly brown.

"So… John?"

I rolled my eyes at the suggestive tone in my mother's voice. "No, I don't think he does relationships."

"And why not?" She smirked at me over her shoulder. "He seems like the kind of man that would do exceedingly well in that area."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but he's got a bit of a… complex life, so to speak."

"How so?"

I shrugged. "He just doesn't like to get close to people."

"He's close to you."

"No, _I'm_ close to _him_, it's not the same."

"But he-"

"Smells good, Mrs. Black!"

Although I was always happy to hear the Doctor's voice, I was a little curious as to what my mom was going to say. It didn't matter. I would've rather been curious and not have to go through a long chat about men than not curious and thoroughly embarrassed.

"Thank you, John." My mother grinned and threw me a wink that no one else caught.

He smiled at her and jumped onto the stool that was against the wall beside me. "And I was almost a hundred-percent sure that you couldn't cook."

I stuck my tongue out at him and then turned back to the meatballs. As I stirred, the Doctor continued to watch me cook with odd interest. Every now and then I'd glance at him and he'd pretend to be looking out the window, but I could feel his deep brown eyes on me. He was staring, and I was rather interested in why.

* * *

><p>I giggled, along with everyone else at the table. Well, almost everyone else. The Doctor wasn't really listening to anything any of us were saying. He was kind of just staring down at the spaghetti on his plate. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't protesting. For once since I met him he hadn't said a single word for ten minutes.<p>

"I woke up with the worst hangover after that!" Adam laughed after swallowing a large bite of his food.

I smiled and glanced at the Doctor, that smile quickly dropping. He had such a firm look on his face, and I knew that look. He was thinking, and thinking hard. In order to get that look off his face, I reached over and poked the arm he'd folded on the table. At the jab, he looked up and flashed me a gentle smile, waiting until I looked away before going to his plate again.

The laughter continued, and I went with it. I wasn't really having fun anymore though. I was a little worried about the Doctor. I'd seen him like this before, but only for a few minutes at a time. I didn't like seeing him when he acted that way. It made me sad and frightened for him.

I was suddenly pulled out of my mind as my mother rose to her feet.

"Who's up for fishing?"

There was a buzz of voices, and I knew that everyone wanted to go out on the pontoon, which was perfect. It would give me a chance to talk to the Doctor and make sure everything was alright.

I quickly helped clean up, throwing all of the leftovers into the fridge and dumping the dirty dishes into the sink. There was my excuse for staying behind. I could be the dish washer, and the Doctor could be forced to be my dryer.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked, grabbing onto the back of the Doctor's tee-shirt as he tried to leave with the rest of the group.

He looked at me like a lost puppy. "Um… Fishing, I think."

"No, you get to help me wash the dishes."

"Awe, Catherine…" He whined.

I smirked. "You think I'm letting you swing a hook around again?"

He sighed and, with an extremely sad look on his attractively speckled face, watched everyone file out the door. Nicky offered him an adorable little wave, which he weakly returned before turning to me with a frown.

I smiled and patted his arm. "C'mon, those dishes are calling." I turned around and dug my hands into the soapy water my mom had run, pulling out a dish and scrubbing it with the dishrag around the neck of the faucet.

He silently stepped up beside me, snatching a towel and drying the dish as I handed it to him.

"I told you that we were leaving tomorrow, right?" I asked.

He nodded solemnly.

"Is that why you're so…" I paused as I tried to think of a word to explain how I thought he'd been feeling. "Down? I mean, I know you like it up here."

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine."

"You don't seem it."

"Catherine, really," He took another dish from me. "I'm alright."

I shook my head. "You always say that, but rarely is it true."

"Honestly," He mumbled as he reached over, dipped his hand into the dirty water, and flicked sprays of wet dirt onto my face. "I'm in a wonderful mood."

As I turned to glare at him, I caught the smug look he was trying to hide, and felt the anger fade a bit. Of course, I didn't let it show. Instead of showing that I was actually rather happy, I pretended to be furious. So, out of childish playfulness and a rather small temper-tantrum, I grabbed some of the suds and reached up to wipe them on his hair.

He smiled as some of the bubbles slid off his hair and landed on his nose. He blew them away and quickly planted an even larger amount atop my head. This resulted in bubbles and suds flying around the room. The mat beneath our feet was soon soaked. We didn't really care though. We were having too much fun.

* * *

><p>Four hours later, my hair was still wet and soapy. After the little suds-battle between the Doctor and me, I'd had to change because my clothes had been soaked through. The Doctor hadn't bothered because he wasn't nearly as wet as I was. Somehow, I hadn't been able to get any suds on him. I was blaming it on my poor eyesight.<p>

Anyways, right as we'd finished cleaning up, the pontoon had pulled in. Everyone was soon inside the cabin, bustling about and talking about all of the fish they'd caught. Nicky had immediately suggested that we put a movie in, so we did. There weren't enough chairs for all of us, so I'd offered the one I normally sat in to the Doctor. He'd just grinned and said he preferred the floor. Well, that and that we had excellent choice in carpeting.

So, several hours later, everyone other than the Doctor and I were asleep. Nicky had dropped unconscious about ten minutes in, taking Ian and Morgan with him. Mom had soon followed, and then Adam and Maddy left to go on one last romantic boat ride. That left the Doctor and I to finish the film on our own.

As the credits rolled, the Doctor stared at the screen with glazed eyes. "I love that film…" He mumbled, his eyes never wavering.

I nodded in agreement. "I've seen it hundreds of times, but that ending never ceases to surprise me."

"Yeah…" For a few moments, we were both silent. Then, he suddenly jumped to his feet and grinned. "Bedtime?"

I smiled. "Yeah, bedtime."

"Great, I'll walk you to your room!"

"It's just down the hall, _John_."

He smiled innocently, and then sighed. "One, you can't be too careful, and two, I can't wait to be called the Doctor again."

I chuckled and got out of my amazingly comfortable chair. "Whatever, then," I smiled. "Thank you for being such a gentleman."

He grinned and held his arm out, waiting for me to take it. I gladly did, reveling in the warmth his bare skin provided. I was starting to love these tee-shirts.

"You don't get to come up here often, do you?" He asked, moving his arm to grab my hand instead. I found we were doing that a lot recently.

I shook my head, but more to get thoughts of the Doctor out of my head than to confirm his beliefs. "Not anymore, no. After Adam went to Iraq, it just wasn't that much fun."

"Oh…" His face didn't darken, like it normally did when I mentioned my younger brother. Instead, it formed that odd, distant look that I'd seen at dinner. I decided to wipe that look from his face.

"To be honest, I really miss it sometimes," I squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. "Do you think you'll miss it?"

"Of course!" He grinned and swung our hands. "Movies, great dinner, fishing! Oh, and I'll especially miss tubing."

I leaned over and pushed him playfully with my torso. "I still hate you for that."

"You don't hate me. Hating me's impossible."

"I beg to differ. Do you forget the Daleks?" He'd told me many stories about those.

He got that cheeky little smile of his. "Well, save for the Daleks."

"And what of the Cybermen?" It was now my turn to smile cheekily. "And the Sycorax? And the Carrionites?"

He chuckled. "Alright, fine, it's impossible for _you_ to hate me."

I rolled my eyes with a nod as we reached my bedroom door, and reluctantly tugged my hand from his. The amusement still shining in my eyes, I turned to him. "Night."

He smiled, and then did something I hadn't been expecting. Normally when we said goodnight, he'd ruffle my hair and leave. Tonight, though, he did something that made my head swim. He grabbed my arm and pulled me flush against his chest, thinly covered by the fabric of his tee-shirt. Then, he wrapped his long arms around my shoulders and hugged me.

_Hugged_ me!

Before I knew what I was doing, I'd raised my own arms and hugged him back. As we stood there, I listened to the steady beats of his hearts, and focused on the warmth. I was really hoping that he couldn't hear my own heart, because it was pounding roughly against my ribcage.

Then, suddenly, he released me and flashed a grin. "Night!" Then, he cheerfully bounded down the hall and out the cabin door.

In a sort of daze, I turned and slipped into my room, my head continuing to swim until I fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh, Cat, why are you so lucky? I'd kill for a hug from the Doctor. Seriously, if any of you really love me, you'll send me David Tennant for Christmas... Pretty please? **

**I haven't been getting in much writing lately. Juggling school, basketball, and this story is a bit of work. I just started my next long period of school, and my new teachers are piling on homework like there's no tomorrow. Basketball is at least three nights a week, and the ones that I don't I have a lot of homework. Christmas is creeping up on us, so hopefully I'll have some time to write during that week. **

**Anyways, what'd you think? Not too cheesy? I was a bit afraid that I went a little too far with the suds and bubbles thing. And what about the Elvis thing? I thought that was pretty clever on my part, but that's just my opinion. Oh, and the movie they watched was the Sixth Sense. When I wrote this, I'd just seen that film for the first time, and I loved it, so I had to incorporate it in some way.**

**So, I think I'll leave it at that. I just got home from basketball, and I really need a shower. All that sweat and dirt. Yuck.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Allons-y!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	13. Lazy Bowling

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or bowling.**

* * *

><p>I sighed as I tossed the last of my bags into the back seat of my car, a small frown tugging gently at the corners of my mouth. If I could've, I would have made the Doctor agree to stay for a few more days, but I had to get home to help Riley with her last-minute wedding plans. I didn't like it, but Riley was worth a bit of suffering.<p>

"Ready to go?"

I turned at the Doctor's voice, and nodded quickly.

"Are you sure?" He seemed concerned.

"Yeah, Riley needs me back at home."

His brow furrowed, and he leaned on my car. "What for?"

"She's getting married, and I'm the Maid of Honor." I smiled at the thought of Riley getting married once more, but then sneered at the fact that I was being forced to wear heels while Riley and Dave were wearing trainers. "She needs me there to help with… stuff… I guess…"

He shot me an amused look, and I rolled my eyes before slapping his shoulder and walking to my family to say my goodbyes. As I tightly hugged my mother, he followed and shook Adam's hand, quickly moving to Ian. I hugged each one of them, and then stepped back to the Doctor's side.

"Tell Riley we said hi," My mother grinned chirpily.

"Oh, and that we're looking forward to seeing her." Ian added, slipping his arm around Morgan's slim waist.

My brow furrowed. "When are you seeing her?"

"She invited all of us to the wedding." Morgan smiled. "I was shocked, too. She's an excellent friend, thinking to include your family."

My eyes flew wide. "I see. Well, see you Saturday then." And with that, I grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him over to my car, practically throwing him at the door. I hopped in, panic stricken on my face.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked as he watched me fumble with my keys, eventually reaching over to guide me.

I shook my head. "You really didn't notice?"

"Notice what?"

I groaned. "The _problem_!"

"Ooh, I like problems!" He yelped with a grin.

"You would." I sneered. "Listen, Riley and Dave know you as the Doctor, and my family knows you as John. How well do you think that'll go over?"

"Oh…" His brows stitched, but he didn't look very concerned about it. "I see… Well, there's two ways we could approach this. Either we tell your family who I really am, or we tell Riley and Dave."

"And have you sent the loony bin? Ha, no thanks."

He folded his arms and leaned back in his seat defiantly. "Well, what's your plan then?"

"I'll come up with some sort of clever lie," I mumbled as I started to back out of the little clearing in the vast wooded area the cabin sat in the middle of. "I'm good at that."

He nodded. "I know," He mumbled, his tone serious. "I've read your book, remember?"

I smiled and nodded. Then, we fell into silence. He was content to stare out the window at the passing scenery, while I focused on the road. Every now and then, my mind would wander, and I'd try to figure out how we were going to dig ourselves out of this hole.

* * *

><p>"Bowling!" The Doctor exclaimed as he spun through the glass door that led to the front desk of the bowling alley fifteen minutes away from my house. "I love bowling! Big shiny balls knocking down pins and making a lot of noise. It's brilliant!" He grinned down at me. "Play me a game?"<p>

I smiled and shook my head. "We're not here to bowl today."

"But…" He looked around, suddenly appearing disappointed. "But it's a _bowling alley_."

"I know."

He seemed confused. "What else do you do at a bowling alley other than _bowl_?"

I smiled. "Riley's set it up so the wedding reception's gonna be held here," I explained, tucking my hands into my pockets as I made my way to the desk. "I offered to split the expenses with her."

"That's one hell of a wedding gift."

I smiled innocently. "Well, I kind of… owed her, a bit."

"Oh, ho, ho, what'd you do?" He grinned and reached up to stretch my cheek.

I shrugged. "I might've insulted her mom…" I mumbled, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. "And stormed out when she was trying to pick out her gown."

He smirked and shot me a look.

"I would've helped her anyways!"

"Sure you would've," He grinned and set his hand on my back, guiding me towards the front desk as if to end the discussion. Honestly, I was glad he did. If he hadn't, I would've eventually started kicking him in frustration.

The middle-aged woman behind the counter smiled as we approached. "Two?" She asked.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, actually we're here to talk to the manager about the wedding booked here for Saturday night."

The smile stretched to a grin, showing off her slightly crooked teeth and wrinkling her skin. "Oh, congratulations!"

I blinked. "Sorry?"

"Odd that you're not wearing rings. My husband wouldn't let me get the mail without mine on before we actually got married."

I suddenly understood. "Oh, um, no, not us," I mumbled, my face flushing as I gestured between the Doctor and I. "A friend of mine, I'm just here to pay the bill."

With a hint of shock hiding in her features, she nodded. "My apologies," She jerked her head towards the door behind the counter. "Just go through there and take a left, all the way to the end of the hall."

"Thanks."

I headed behind the counter, tugging the Doctor behind me. I pushed the door open and pulled him in behind me, taking an immediate left just as the woman had said. I stopped pulling him, and he began walking beside me, his left hand tucked in his pocket and his right hand loosely holding mine.

Ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, we proceeded to knock on the frosted-glass door at the end of the hallway. While I only knocked twice, the Doctor had to add a bit of flare and knock out a pattern. I did nothing but roll my eyes at the gesture, and bit my lip when he grinned at me. I hated him for making me feel so uncomfortable.

Finally, the door opened and a portly man with a balding head appeared.

"Catherine Black?"

I nodded. "Riley must've called ahead?"

He nodded in reply, and opened the door further to allow the Doctor and me in. I stepped inside with a smile directed at the man, but he ignored me and waddled to sit behind the desk. I glanced awkwardly at the Doctor, who just shrugged and gestured for me to do my thing.

I turned to the man, and opened my mouth to speak. However, he beat me to it.

"So, how do you want to do this?"

"Um, I was thinking I was just going to write a check and pay it off now."

He looked up from the papers he was staring down at with an eyebrow raised. "All of it?"

"Something wrong with that?"

"No, no, not at all, it's just," He stared at me questioningly. "Won't that put you in debt? It _is_ a rather large bill."

I smiled kindly and shook my head. "Trust me, I'm perfectly secure financially. Who do I make the check out to?"

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, everything was set. I'd paid Mr. Walker (the alley manager) in full and the Doctor and I were busy figuring out the right shoe size for him. I know I'd said that we weren't there to bowl, but he'd kept glancing at the alleys with a longing look on his adorable face, and I couldn't resist him when he played the puppy-dog-card.<p>

Eventually, after several pairs, he found shoes that worked for his extremely long and skinny feet. I knew my size from the many times I'd been here during high school (my feet hadn't grown since then), so I was good. We moved from shoes to balls. I went with the medium size eight, the second smallest ball. The Doctor decided to go with the large size eleven. Finally, we found our lane and I started to set up the funky little computer thing.

"Bumpers?" The Doctor laughed as I pushed the button that made the bumpers come up during my turn.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I like to have insurance."

I quickly finished setting up, and the Doctor started his turn. For an alien that traveled the universe saving people, he was a decently good bowler. He hit nine of the pins on the first go, and got the last one on his second throw. I didn't do quite so well. I got five pins down, and then three more. Not bad, but I knew he'd tease me because he did better and he had the disadvantage.

"So, I've been thinking," He mumbled, glancing at me as he stepped up to take his second turn. "Why don't we just say Doctor is my nickname?"

"Who has 'the Doctor' as a nickname?" I scoffed.

"Well," He paused to throw the ball, striking all of the pins down. Then, he turned to me with a cocky smile. "Brilliant, clever, athletic people."

I rolled my eyes and stood to take my own turn. "We'd need a good back-story to convince everyone."

He grinned. "We could say I'm a pompous American that's too fond of his title." He dropped his accent completely.

My eyes widened, but I didn't show any other sign of surprise and focused on settling the rest of my face in anger. In response, he smiled and waited patiently for me to fail at knocking down pins. After knocking down three pins, I turned to wait for my ball to come back and address our situation.

"Not American, that would just insult everyone Riley and Dave invited," I tucked my hands into my pockets. "The fond-of-your-title thing, that's good though. We could say your friends at college started calling you that because…" I trailed off as I thought of a reason.

He beamed. "I was overly enthusiastic!"

I nodded with a chuckle. "Shouldn't be too hard for you to manage." I turned, grabbed my ball, and tossed it without much care. He noticed this motion.

"Are you even trying?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because I'd suck at it either way." I shrugged, and caught the 'you-kicked-my-puppy' look on his face. "What?"

"Well, you can't just not try!" He whined.

I smirked. "Sure I can. I just did, didn't I?"

He shot me a disapproving look, but said nothing more on the subject and moved to take his turn. Another strike, and it was my turn once more. I moved to pick up my ball, but the Doctor stood in the way.

"Are you going to try?" He asked as he dipped his chin, staring at me through his eyelashes.

"Sure, whatever." I mumbled, grabbing his arm and pushing him out of the way.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die." I rolled my eyes, grabbed my ball, and lazily tossed it into the alley. "Whoops, guess I'm gonna die now." I quipped as my ball returned.

He glared as I turned to grab my ball from the rack. After pulling it into my tiny pale hands, the Doctor stepped up and reached around me, situating my fingers in the holes.

"What are you _doing_?" I asked, turning to look at him with my heart fluttering gently in my chest as his hands positioned my arms.

"Well, I obviously can't trust you to try on your own, so I'm gonna help you." He grinned, and used his feet to tap my own. "Right foot over a bit." I sighed and moved my feet accordingly. "Alright, now bend your elbow like this." He held my right arm out and bent my elbow at a ninety-degree angle. "And now extend and release."

I sighed as he released me and hopped onto his chair like a three year old that had been promised candy. I shot him a glance, and then did as he said. Extend and release. It was good advice, seeing as the ball sped down the alley and knocked down all but one pin.

"You're kidding, right?" I mumbled to myself as I stared at the fallen pins.

"I agree, you were robbed." He stressed the 'D' as he stepped to my side, his hands tucked away in his pockets.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks." I reached over and pushed him lightly.

"You're welcome!" He grinned and reached over to snatch my ball from the rack. He held it out to me, and I couldn't help but smile as I gently took it from him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Jeez, I'm becoming a FLUFF MANIAC! Oh, Lord, save me now, for I have sinned...**

**Anyways, I know this is a few days early. When I have particularly rough days I like to brighten it up with another chapter. This happens to have been one of those rough days. I'm feeling a bit better now, but I still wanted to post this. **

**So, that's really all I have to say. I have some things to get done, so I've really got to go. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Allons-y!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	14. Riley and the TARDIS

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, Hugh Grant (thank God), or Barty Crouch Junior.**

* * *

><p>I smiled as Riley twirled around my bedroom (cleaned for the occasion) in her wedding gown, squealing and practicing skipping in the large garment. It was now the day before the wedding, and this was our version of a bachelorette party. Just the two of us goofing off in my room. The dress had only been delivered to her house the day before, and she needed a place to keep it so Dave wouldn't see it until the wedding. For some odd reason, she immediately thought that <em>my<em> house would be _safe_. She obviously forgot that the Doctor (we'd convinced her that his given name was John) was here.

"I have a question." I mumbled from my post on my bed, lying on my stomach with my head propped up in my hands.

"Shoot!" She squealed, lifting her skirt to look at her bare ankles.

I blinked and pushed my glasses up my nose. "If you and Dave get to wear Converses, why do I have to wear heels?"

"Cat, you silly little kitten," She cooed, skipping over to tap the tip of my nose. "You're the Maid of Honor."

"And that makes sense how?"

She shrugged, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Ask my mom."

I sneered and folded my arms, dropping my chin into them. Upon the jerking motion, my glasses slipped down my nose again, and I was forced to get out of my comfortable position and pushed them up again.

"You're planning to wear contacts, right?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, I haven't decided if looking nice is worth the irritation."

"If they bug you so much, get some eye drops."

I snorted. "I'd rather not pour cold, wet chemicals all over my already damaged eyes in order to look 'pretty'."

She folded her hands behind her back and started swaying from side to side, blinking at me rapidly through her long eyelashes. "Not even for my wedding?"

I tried to stay strong, but saying no to Riley was like saying no to a dying puppy. It just couldn't be done. "I really hate you."

"No you don't-"

Riley was interrupted as the door slammed open, and the Doctor waddled in carrying a tray covered in what appeared to be tuna sandwiches.

"I've got lunch!" He yelped as he stared down at the food. "Chicken, tuna, peanut butter and jelly, you name it. I've even made some-" Finally, he looked up to see Riley in her dress. "You look beautiful!" He grinned.

As I rolled my eyes, Riley curtsied and muttered a shy thanks, which was odd because Riley didn't get shy.

After setting the tray on my bed bench, he threw himself onto the bed beside me, and excited smile decorating his features. "Where's your dress?"

"Hidden."

"Hidden where?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be hidden, would it?"

He frowned. "Spoil sport."

"That's my name, don't wear it out." I mumbled as I set my head in my arms once more. "You've got a tux, right?"

He made a really annoying whining sound and scooted a bit closer to me. "Why can't I wear my suit?"

"Because I love to make you wear ugly and uncomfortable clothing."

"Like those tee-shirts…" He sneered.

I smirked. "I liked the tee-shirts," I mumbled as I poked my elbow into his side. "They made you look _sexy_."

"Ah, thank you very much!" He grinned.

"You two are _such_ a couple!"

My eyes hopped from the Doctor's happy smile to Riley's amused smirk, just as the Doctor's eyes did from me. Both of our eyebrows sat in the middle of our foreheads, surprise apparent to my weird best friend.

"And you're both so clueless." She giggled. "It's just like all of those romance novels my mom used to read! Oh, time to play _matchmaker_!" With that, she lifted her skirt and skipped out of my room, leaving the Doctor and I alone to process what she'd just said.

Suddenly, the Doctor turned to me. "Do we look like a couple?"

* * *

><p>"You <em>are<em> kidding, right?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I held the Doctor's tuxedo out in front of me. "We want you to look like a choir-boy, not the groom."

"It's either this or a full set of dress robes." He snorted, leaning back against one of the thousand racks of clothing in the TARDIS wardrobe.

"Not if I'm involved," I mumbled, throwing the tux at him. "Put it on."

He sneered, but nodded and wandered off to change without me staring at him. Once he was out of sight, I turned and started randomly flicking through the clothing on the rack beside me. It looked like clothes from the 30's. You know, lots of frilly dresses that end at the knee and full suits. I bet the Doctor _loved_ those.

"Hate this thing,"

I turned and caught the Doctor slowly waddling towards me. He was fiddling with his cufflink and his bowtie hung loosely around his neck.

"Something bad always happens when I wear it."

I smiled and slid to his side, reaching up to help with his bowtie as he finished with his cufflinks. "Ah, so you've got superstitions!"

"Well," He smiled. "Maybe."

I grinned. "This tux isn't as bad as I thought it'd be." I mumbled. "You're still not wearing it, though."

"So you _want_ me to wear the dress robes?"

I laughed. "No, that's just a little too close to Barty Crouch Junior for me. But I've got a plan."

"Oh, not more shopping!"

"No, no, just shut up and listen for a moment," I smiled as I reached up again and pulled the bowtie from around his neck. "Take off your jacket." I quickly undid the top button on his shirt.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

He shrugged and pulled the black jacket from his shoulders, leaving him in his white dress shirt, black slacks, and his black trainers. I didn't even bother to try and get him out of the trainers. That was a job for another day.

"Hm," I mumbled to myself, fiddling with his collar. "Different shirt, a tie and you'll be good to go."

He looked down at himself. "You think?" He posed, an amused and silly smirk playing on his features. "Sexy?" He winked and made that clicking sound I loved so much.

I grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

He returned the smile. "We should go, before Riley gets out of the shower."

I nodded, and he turned to go change back into his suit.

* * *

><p>Riley and I, both of us clad in our pajamas, were curled up on my couch watching some cheesy romance movie starring Hugh Grant. I honestly didn't like it that much, but Riley loved it so I dealt with it. The Doctor had holed himself up in the TARDIS, hiding from us hormonal girls on an emotional rampage. I respected him for it. If I were him, I would've done the same thing. Hiding is always the honorable choice when it's either that or inevitable death by flying remote.<p>

"No, no, no," Riley cried, throwing yet another pillow at the TV. "Don't do that! She's not the girl you want!"

I sighed and rubbed her back. "It's alright, he'll see his error eventually."

She glared at me. "But they need to be together _now_," She growled through clenched teeth. "They're perfect together and he can't _see that_! I hate men!"

Pulling my blanket around me tighter, my shoulders drooped and a tired look came to my face. Taking care of Riley was like taking care of a giant four-year-old.

With that, my mind slipped off. I started wondering what the Doctor was doing in that little blue box that Riley had been ignoring. My guess was that he was fixing something, or breaking it in the process. Maybe he was in the library, reading a book that shouldn't exist anymore. Or perhaps he was swimming (the thought of him in a swimsuit still sent me over the edge). Whatever he was doing, I desperately wanted to be there with him. Don't get me wrong, I loved spending time with Riley, I just loved spending time with the Doctor a little bit more.

I sighed again and reached over to grab a handful of popcorn, only to be disappointed when I found the bowl empty.

"I'll go make more popcorn." I mumbled. I snatched the bowl, wrapped myself tighter in my blanket, and got to my feet. I trudged around the couch and into the kitchen, quickly popping a flat bag of un-popped popcorn into the microwave. Listening to the slow popping eventually speed up, I leaned against the counter and looked out the window at the barely visible blue box. Maybe I could sneak out for just a moment. Tell Riley I was going to the bathroom or something.

Suddenly, the timer went off and I jumped, rushing over to pull the bag from the microwave and empty its contents into the bowl. Then, I turned and went back into the living room.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom quick. Be right back."

Riley barely grunted as she ripped the bowl from my hands. I doubt she'd notice I wasn't actually walking into the bathroom, the way she was glaring at the TV.

So, as quietly as I could, I pulled the sliding-door open and ran across the lawn to the TARDIS, sitting in the exact same spot it had been sitting for almost two weeks now. The doors were closed, and the Doctor had told me that they couldn't be opened from the outside without a key. As is the age old story, I didn't happen to have a key.

I sighed, and decided to knock like a civilized person.

A few moments afterwards, the doors opened and the Doctor's head popped out. "What are you doing here?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "I got bored. You really should give me a key, y'know." I pushed past him and inside, grinning as the floor hummed beneath me.

"You should be inside." He scolded me, giving me his serious look.

"But that movie _sucks_…" I moaned. "I love Riley, but her taste in movies is that of a blind person's."

"You're her host, Catherine."

"And?"

"God, you're stubborn."

"Thank you."

He glared at me, and I glared back. Although this wasn't my idea of fun, it was better than watching Hugh Grant for any amount of time. After several moments of having a glaring contest, he growled and turned away, mumbling to himself as he dropped to the floor on the opposite side of the Console. With a cheeky, satisfied smirk I threw myself onto the white seats and stared into the source of the blue light.

My thoughts moved to Riley, sitting alone in the living room. The Doctor was right, I couldn't just leave her. It was the night before her wedding, after all. But I still didn't want to leave. So, instead of choosing one or the other, I compromised.

"Hey, do you think we could show Riley the TARDIS?" The words had escaped my mouth before I could process what I was saying.

The Doctor slowly rolled on the grating, propping himself on his elbow as he got a clear view of me. "I thought you said that was a bad idea."

"I did, but I changed my mind."

He stared at me for a few more moments, and then broke into a wide grin. "Why not? Plus, she'll probably say 'it's bigger on the inside'. I love it when people say 'it's bigger on the inside'! They always have this look on their face and then they say 'it's bigger on the inside'!" He paused for a moment. "Isn't that brilliant?"

I smiled and nodded. "Absolutely fantastic," I muttered, hopping to my feet. "I'll go get her."

The smile sticking to my face, I ran through the doors, taking care to make sure they remained open. After speeding across the lawn and through the sliding-door, I jumped the couch and spread my arms out in front of the TV screen.

"Cat, move!" She yelled, squirming from side to side. "I can't see! He's gonna tell her he loves her, so _move_!"

I turned around and poked the button that turned the television off. "Forget Hugh Grant," I grinned. "There's something I wanna show you."

"It can wait!"

"No, it really can't," I stomped over and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Trust me, you'll thank me for showing you." I pulled her away from the couch with great effort, and had to work hard to get her through the door.

"But they were about to make-out!" She cried, bracing herself in the doorway.

"You can watch them make-out any day of the week!"

"Yeah, but I wanna see it _now_!"

I finally managed to un-wedge her and dragged her across the lawn to the TARDIS. She caught the slightest glance of the large blue box and forgot all about her movie.

"I've been meaning to ask," She started, pausing in her movement and staring at it. "What is this thing?"

I grinned. "Just go inside."

"But why?"

"Just do it."

She sighed and pushed on the doors, jumping inside without caring enough to look first. I followed, and shut the doors behind me. When I finally paid attention to Riley's reaction, I didn't get anything. She was acting completely normal.

"So, what'd you wanna show me?" She asked, looking over at me innocently.

My jaw dropped. "You're kidding, right?"

She winked. "Cat, I believe in ghosts, aliens, psychic abilities, vampires, and werewolves, this isn't out of my depth."

"First time I've gotten that response." The Doctor popped out from behind the Console, his geeky glasses and a look of disappointment on his face. "And you didn't even say 'it's bigger on the inside'."

Riley grinned. "It's bigger on the inside."

"Thank you."

Riley nodded, and looked around. "So, what is this thing?"

I jumped to her side. "It's a time machine."

"TARDIS!" The Doctor corrected.

"Oh, let her start with the basics," I mumbled, flashing him a look before going back to Riley. "And the Doctor's an alien."

"So," Her brow furrowed as she looked to me, running her hands through her hair subconsciously. "His name really _is_ the Doctor? Not John Smith?"

I shook my head. "No, but we still need you to call him that at the wedding. My family thinks he's a historian."

She nodded, and caught sight of the controls. I was a moment too late to realize what she was doing, and the Doctor couldn't stop her seeing as he was turned the other way.

So, she had free reign to poke buttons.

"Riley, I don't think that's a good idea!" I yelped.

"Ooh, a lever!"

"Don't pull that!" The Doctor turned around, realizing what she was doing to his poor machine. "Riley, that's-"

And we were all caught in a cloud of black smoke that smelled like gasoline.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry, had to add in the Barty Crouch Junior thing. It's just been begging to be done since I started writing the story. I couldn't help it. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. There's only three more chapters now! I'm thinking I'll finish this off next week and get the sequel up in time for Christmas, because it's kind of Christmas themed. Well, no, it's Doctor themed, with a hint of Christmastime. Albeit, if I put the rest of this up next week I might need a week or so to write some more. I've got about four chapters ready at the moment, but that's not nearly enough. I had almost ten when I posted the first chapter of this. **

**So, life's busy. It's once again why I'm posting early. Basketball tomorrow, basketball Saturday, and Basketball Sunday. And I think I have it Monday, as well. Yeah, and then again on Tuesday. Then I get a little bit of a break, though. Thank the Lord! **

**Next chapter is the wedding, I think. And then the chapter afterwards is the reception. Oh, the joy of weddings! **

**And, I just wanted to thank you all. I honestly believe that I have the best readers in the world. I plan to write a book one day, and I swear to mention all of you because that's just how much I love you. You're all my inspiration, and a large piece of my will to keep going. Without you guys, I never would have gained the confidence to face life head on, and make the best of it. You guys are my world, and there will always be a special place for you in my heart.**

**I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	15. Do You Wanna Dance?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

* * *

><p>I rubbed my eyes once more, irritating them further. They were already red, and I would've rather taken the contacts I was wearing out. However, Riley had a different idea. I was to wear these contacts all night, or otherwise be murdered in my sleep. With anyone else, I would've ignored the empty threat. But this was Riley, and that meant that it wasn't a threat, but a promise.<p>

So, here I was, forced to live the next few hours in pure agony. The wedding hadn't even started yet, and I was already tapping my foot for the moment I could go home.

"Cat, just use some damn eye drops!" Riley shouted from her place standing on a stood in the middle of the room, the other bridesmaids running around and fixing her up.

Normally, I would've chastised her for using such tone and language, but I knew it was just because she was nervous. She was about to be married to a wonderful man, who wouldn't be?

"If it'll shut you up, fine!" I seethed, slowly standing from my seat. I really did hate these heels she was making me wear. "Where's your purse?" She always kept eye drops in there. I didn't have a clue as to why. Maybe for Dave.

"In the corner, under my coat. Ow! Cassie, easy with the elbow!"

Rolling my eyes at the madness that Riley had created with this wedding, I slowly trampled towards said coat. My ankles rolled several times in the heels, but I eventually got the corner relatively unscathed and found the bottle of eye drops. With an agitated sigh, I spread my eyelids and dropped a single drop of cold liquid into each eye, blinking away the sudden stinging, and then feeling relief. I reached up to wipe the excess liquid away, and then tossed the bottle back into Riley's purse.

"Better?" Riley asked with an exasperated groan.

I nodded, and went to help the girls with the final details on her dress. She looked beautiful, even more so than normal. Her red hair was done up in a bun, and her makeup had taken half an hour to be applied. The dress flattered her slight frame, and her bright blue eyes stuck out against the pale canvas of her cheeks.

In fact, all of us looked lovely. I'd actually grown rather fond of the pale-gold dress that had been chosen for the bridesmaids. Tan silk wrapped around our torsos, and around the strapless neckline. The rest of the dress was made up of a flowing golden material, ending in a quaint hem just below our knees. Some of the other girls had worn necklaces and bracelets, but I refused to do so. I wanted to look as plain as possible, seeing as I was the one standing beside the bride. She was supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the room, and I was determined to make sure it ended up that way.

"Girls, the ceremony's about to start." Riley's father, an aging man that I often questioned the sanity of due to his choice of marriage, opened the door and stepped into the room. "You look lovely, my dear."

Riley grinned. "Thank you, Daddy." With that, she took his offered arm and they left the room.

The rest of us followed, everyone else ahead of me. I wanted to postpone getting there for as long as I could. Why, you ask? Well, I was the Maid of Honor, and guess who the Best Man happened to be. Yes, Travis was the Best Man, which meant he would be escorting me down the aisle.

However, I did have to eventually reach the hall that everyone was standing in. So, I decided to go forth and make a fool of myself.

"Cat, you look great!" Travis smiled softly at me, offering his arm.

I nodded, a blush creeping onto my cheeks. "Thanks…" I mumbled as I took the offered arm and stepped into line beside him. Riley was directly behind me, and one of the other bridesmaids in front. I didn't know any of them, seeing as they were friends from before her parents moved her to Minnesota in middle school.

"So," Travis's voice pulled my back down to earth. "How well do you think this'll go?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but it better go well because, if it doesn't, Riley'll hunt us down and kill us off one by one."

"I'm right back here, you know!" I felt her fingers jab into my bare shoulder.

I ignored her. "What do you think?"

He grinned, showing off two rows of perfectly straight, white teeth. "I think it'll go perfectly."

"Bit of an optimist, there?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess, but I like to stay hopeful."

I nodded, and then heard the processional music play. Glancing around, I caught a view of the Flower Girl, who was Riley's younger cousin Marie, and the Ring Bearer, otherwise known as Marie's brother Mark. They would jump in behind Travis and I at the last moment. Slowly, the line moved forward, and Travis and I were eventually left at the front.

"Deep breaths, Cat," He mumbled as he patted the hand resting in the crook of his elbow.

I nodded, and then we moved forward, slowly proceeding out of the doors.

Upon entering the large hall, I looked around for the one person I'd been waiting to see for the past few hours. I found him, his hands tucked into his pockets and standing tall in the corner of the room. When Riley and I had left the house early this morning, I'd told him that he could drive my car here as long as he didn't run it into a ditch. Apparently, he hadn't done so, which made me happy. I'd also told him to dress smartly, which I'd feared he'd take too directly and look like a geek. However, based on what I was seeing now, he hadn't done that either.

His long legs were clad in the black slacks from his tux, and he'd done as I'd suggested and gotten rid of the jacket and bowtie, and switched the shirt. He wore the light blue shirt he normally wore with his brow suit, along with the tie belonging to the same suit. He quite literally looked like a choir boy, only older and not quite so… innocent.

As we started down the aisle, I shot him a smile, and then returned to focusing on walking. With the help of a miracle, neither of us tripped or fell, and we found our places beside the altar. We turned just in time to watch the Flower Girl and Ring Bearer finish their trip down the aisle.

The music coming from the organ paused, and then Riley and her father emerged from the doorway. Her eyes were glued to Dave, and Dave's were glued to her. As always, their hearts went out to each other and no one else. With that thought in mind, I couldn't help but to glance towards the Doctor. He caught my look, and offered a small wave I wish I could've returned.

I turned back to the Bride and Groom, now staring deeply into each other's eyes and holding both hands between them. The minister stood beside them on the altar, a leather-bound book open in his hands, waiting to be read from. I never listened to what the minister said when I went to weddings because I felt that the emotions on the faces of the Bride and Groom deserved the utmost attention. Being an aspiring author, I felt the need to understand the feelings behind the face, and weddings were the perfect place to practice that.

Finally, my ears registered the ending of the vows, and they leaned in for the kiss. Riley had been going on and on about how perfect she wanted this exact moment to be, and I knew that it was. They'd kissed hundred, maybe thousands of times, but this was different. This was the kiss that bound them together for the rest of their lives, and the tenderness of the moment forced me to look down at my now aching feet.

Riley was no longer Ms. Riley O'Connor, she was Mrs. David Foxe, and I couldn't have been happier for her.

* * *

><p>The Doctor and I were standing beside each other, waiting for Riley and Dave to come over. I wanted to give the both of them a large bear-hug, and an honest congratulation. The Doctor wanted to congratulate them as well, and I think he was seriously considering the bear-hug. At least for Riley.<p>

"How do you _walk_ in these?" He asked, pulling one of my heels from my hands. I'd taken them off after retreating through the aisle, thankful to be flat-footed again.

I shrugged. "I dunno," I mumbled. "Ask Riley, she's the expert."

He grinned with a nod, and then looked me randomly in the eye. He swiveled his neck a few times, and then frowned. "Are you wearing contacts?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well," He reached up and tugged at his ear, blinking innocently a few times. "I kind of… liked the glasses…"

My heart leapt. "I agree," I strained to make the words sound normal. "We don't match anymore."

He smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out his glasses and putting them on. As I snorted, he grinned and stood up tall, obviously proud with his accomplishment. In fact, he was so busy being proud that he didn't notice Riley and Dave, hand in hand, sidle up in front of us.

"Kitten!" Riley yelped, throwing one of her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly. I scrambled in surprise for a moment, and then gladly wrapped my arms around her as well. All the while I could hear her giggling and squealing words into my ear, most of them incomprehensible, but I caught a few like 'marriage' and 'babies'.

Finally, for some unknown reason, she released me and I was quickly taken into the large arms of Dave. His hug was a lot less surprising and rough as Riley's, but I didn't let myself get too comfortable. I'd made that mistake once, and Riley had given me several bruises. On accident, of course.

"Gimme a hug, alien boy!"

I smiled as Dave and I stepped away from each other and glanced at Riley and the Doctor. Riley, being strongly emotional at the moment, had wrapped her arms tightly around his thin frame. He opted to go along with it, and hugged her back with a large grin on his face.

"Riley!"

I cringed. That voice was one I heard rarely, but that small amount of time was still too much.

"Come along, your Great Aunt Madeline wishes to speak with you." Although speaking to her daughter, Mrs. O'Connor was staring at me with pure ferocity in her beady little eyes. "You as well, David."

Riley released the Doctor, shot me an apologetic look, and followed her mother obediently.

As the three retreated into the crowd, I crossed my arms and ground my teeth. "Do you think we could lock that woman in an abandoned room in the TARDIS?"

"I don't want her on my ship!" He disagreed, grabbing my arm in order to give him access to my hand.

I pouted. "Just for the night?"

That struck a chuckle to escape him, but he just shook his head as an answer.

Disgruntled, I frowned and began to angrily pull him towards the doors. "Fine, we won't lock her up so I can enjoy the evening, instead I'll just be miserable and annoying."

* * *

><p>I was giggling. I know I'd said that I was going to be miserable and annoying, but the Doctor wasn't laying off the cute tactics to get me in a better mood. He was blowing ahead full steam, and I couldn't help it.<p>

"Quit it!" I yelped with a smile, earning a few odd stares from the maintenance and wait staff Riley had hired, all of which were running around making last minute adjustments.

The Doctor grinned, wiggling the straws he'd put beneath his lip to make himself look like a walrus.

"Seriously, cut it out," I playfully slapped his arm.

"Oh, you're no fun." He pulled the straws out and tossed one of them at me.

A playful smile on my face, I jerked out of the way of the straw, apologizing when a young man bent down to retrieve it and put it in a trash bin.

"Let's get this party started!" I smiled and looked back over my shoulder at the entrance of the bowling alley. Riley and Dave, both still dressed in their wedding attire, were quickly moving towards the place the Doctor and I sat. Riley had a large grin on her face. "Seriously, where's the cake?"

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you should go make sure everything's ready."

She poked her tongue out at me, and then turned to skip happily towards the kitchen. Dave looked after her, but eventually turned to me, shooting odd glances at the Doctor. After a moment, I understood.

"So, Riley told you about last night, huh?"

His black eyes fixed on me as he nodded.

"And she told you to call him John tonight?"

He nodded again, and then ran his hand through his hair. "And I thought the guy was just weird."

"Oi," The Doctor called. "I'm right here."

Dave smiled. "Sorry,"

The Doctor grinned, and reached out to clap his hand against Dave's shoulder before turning around and playing with the flower display at the center of the table we were sitting at. I couldn't help but smile at the manly gesture, and then turned back to Dave.

"How'd you react when she told you?" I leaned against the back of my chair, smirking up at my best friend's fiancé.

His eyebrow jumped, and he shrugged. "I didn't believe her, but then she told me about it," It was his turn to smirk now. "And we both know Riley doesn't have that sort of imagination."

I grinned, and opened my mouth to say something only to be interrupted by Riley's obnoxious voice.

"Dave!" She shouted across the bowling alley, causing several people to jump, including me. "David Richard Foxe! Heel!"

"Your queen beckons."

Dave shot me a smile, and then drifted away from us to join his wife. I smiled towards the Doctor, who just turned with a cheeky smile and a knowing glint in his soft, chocolate eyes.

"He's going to go through hell on the honeymoon."

* * *

><p>I felt awkward, sitting between two girls that I'd been "frenimies" with in high school. I didn't understand why Riley had invited them, or why they came for that matter. Maybe they'd been told that the bride and groom were paying for all of the Michelob Light the guests could drink. That sounded like a rather plausible reason, and reminded me of the several parties we'd been to that left me the designated driver because I was the only sober girl left.<p>

"Adam got better looking with age," The blonde whose name I barely recalled as Stephanie mumbled as she raised her third drink to her lips. "Don't you think?" She nudged my side.

I glanced towards the back of the room, where Adam Balonovik, another one of my school chums, stood with many other men from my school days. Adam was tall, tan, and dark. At one point in time I'd found his mysteriousness and dark nature endearing, but I'd grown out of that phase after my first year of college.

"Not really my type." I mumbled with a gentle shrug of the shoulders.

The other girl, a brunette named Alexis, crossed her slender legs and flipped her hair out of her eyes. "If he's not your type, what is?"

I glanced at her, and then moved my gaze to the Doctor. "Tall and skinny with a goofy side." I mumbled as I watched him kneel with Nicky in the darkest corner of the room.

The two girls didn't hear me, and were still staring in Adam's direction. "Wait," A smirk tugged at the corner of Stephanie's full, red lips. "Didn't you lose_ it_ to Adam?"

Faster than you could say 'danger' I was on my feet with a deep red blush creeping across my pale skin. "Be right back, I'm gonna go get something to drink." And without waiting for them to say anything else, I moved away from the table in the dark that we'd been sitting at and towards the Doctor and Nicky.

"But she's got cooties!" I heard Nicky cry as I stepped up behind them.

The Doctor snorted. "Do you have any ideas what cooties actually are?"

"Germs that make boys sick!"

"Well, you got the germs part _kind of_ right," He grinned as he glanced back at me, and then focused all of his attention on my nephew. "See, cooties are actually a kind of bacteria that inhabit our cells and recreate the effects of nutrition."

Now, being a high school graduate, I knew that was a lie. Cooties were just a stupid excuse young boys had to hate girls.

"That's not right!" Nicky shouted, but his voice wavered and he didn't look very confident in his words.

"Sure it is, ask your aunt."

I blinked. "What?" The Doctor jerked his head towards my waiting nephew. "Oh, um, yes, cooties are bacteria, yeah," I blinked again, and then got a clever idea to mess with my brother. "You could go a week without vegetables if you had a bit of cooties instead."

At that, Nicky's eyes lit up. "No vegetables?" He grinned and then set off towards Riley's younger cousin Marie, obviously looking for cooties.

"What was that all about?" I asked as the Doctor got to his feet and brushed off his pants.

He reached up to tug at his ear. "He was looking at her all throughout the wedding and then through the entire reception, he just needed a good reason to go talk to her."

I rolled my eyes. "If you're playing matchmaker, you should find me a boyfriend."

He smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but my name was shouted through the crowd. I recognized the voice, but I needed to make sure that it was who I thought it was. So, I looked casually over my shoulder to catch sight of Travis and his golden locks headed my way.

I flashed back towards the Doctor with a look of pure panic no doubt extremely apparent on my face as the DJ announced a slow dance for all of the 'lovebirds'. After hearing the announcement, a quick scheme to avoid contact with the handsome suitor developed in my mind. Before I knew it, I was looking up at the Doctor and the worst thing I could've said spewed from my mouth.

"Do you wanna dance?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes, there was a lot of jumping around this chapter. If I'd gone through everything that happened during and after the wedding, I've both lost myself and the story would've gotten incredibly boring. Plus, I like to think of this as a kind of time travel. The Doctor would be proud.**

**YES! I have left you a cliffhanger! I know, hate me as you will, but I think you all can guess what'll happen next. Then again, maybe not... I already know, so I can't really say. I'm a bit biased. **

**This will be the start of my final week of posting! Yes, everything is coming up sometime in the next six days! And, on Sunday, the sequel will be posted. I realize that Sunday is Christmas, but I'm sure a few of you will be spending the day with incredibly boring relatives, and will need something to do. Consider it the suckiest present any of you have ever received. **

**So... I think that's all I have to say. Unless you wanna hear about my day. If you do, continue reading. If you don't, thanks for coming! I love you!**

**Yeah, I had basketball today. And yesterday, too. I rolled both my ankles, nearly spraining the right one, hurt the pinky-finger I sprained last year, and cut my lip... again. Yes, basketball is a brutal sport. Yes, I'm a somewhat brutal person... Sometimes... Not really, I just get caught in the middle of things I ought not to be in at all. Sort of like the Doctor! Oh, that realization just made my day. **

**So, thank you for listening to my ramblings, and I think I'll be back on Tuesday with the next chapter. Then again on Thursday, and finally on Saturday with the epilogue. **

**I LOVE YOU ALLS! :D**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	16. The Wedding Reception

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but pretty much everything else is mine. Huh, not often that happens.**

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><p>"Do you wanna dance?" I asked the Doctor in a sudden, panic-driven scheme.<p>

For a moment, he seemed a bit startled that I'd asked. His eyebrows sat in the middle of his forehead, but nothing else showed his surprise. Then, with a shocking amount of enthusiasm, he smiled and nodded. The acceptance of my offer now had _me_ shocked, and it took me a moment to comprehend that we were slowly moving towards the wooden dance floor.

Once there, he offered me his hand and I was suddenly reminded of the time he'd introduced me to his library. Just as I had then, I shakily accepted the hand, and he pulled me slightly closer to his tall, skinny frame. As he placed his thin hands on my waist and I reached up to gently set mine on his shoulders, a deep blush climbed my throat to flame across my face. I was thankful for the dim lighting, which was probably the only thing keeping him from realizing how much our contact affected me.

For the first few moments, there was nothing but awkward silence. The both of us were stiff, and I knew that this was just as weird for him as it was for me. Hopefully, it was also a _good_ weird just as much to him as it was to me.

"Catherine," I jumped as the Doctor whispered my name in my ear. I hadn't realized we were that close. "Look at that."

My eyes followed his, and I caught sight of Nicky and Marie dancing with each other. They weren't nearly as close as any of the other couples on the floor, but they both had smiles on their young faces and twinkles in their eyes.

My rigid form softened a bit, and I smiled. "I congratulate you on a job well done."

"Well, I had a bit of help." He shifted his hands slightly, causing the muscles in my stomach to jerk excitedly.

"We make one hell of a team, huh?" I asked shakily, forcing a smile onto my face.

He looked slightly concerned at my obvious discomfort, but nodded anyways, and then resorted to looking around at all of the people. I did the same, catching the slightest glance of Travis. He was staring at us with a sad look on his face, and I felt bad for him. Not because he was missing out on all of this amazing sexiness (note the sarcasm), but because I wouldn't and couldn't return the feelings he directed towards me.

"He looks like he really wants to be in my position."

Once more, the Doctor's smooth voice made me jump. I turned to him, and looked down at our feet in embarrassment and shame. "Yeah…"

"What d'you say?" He reached up and brushed a hair that had strayed from my bun behind my ear. "Give him one dance?" The hope in his eyes made my heart break. That look normally meant something good, but not this time. This time, he was using it to get me to leave him alone. I didn't want to dance with Travis, I was rather content dancing with him.

With a disheartened sigh, I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

The Doctor grinned, and the music stopped. Then, after patting my shoulder, he walked past me and towards Ian and Morgan. I watched him for a few more moments, and then turned to go talk to Travis. He was standing quietly at the edge of the dance floor with his hands in his pockets and his head down.

"Travis?"

His head jerked up, and as soon as he caught sight of me a smile was on his face. "Hey, Cat."

I nodded and forced a smile to my face. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"A little bit," He shrugged, staring at me with pure admiration. "I was kinda hoping to be able to spend more time with you, but you seemed a bit busy."

I nodded, and then looked down at my feet. Sighing, I looked back at him. "I'm free for the next dance, if you're up for it."

A glint came to his eyes and a bright grin to his face, and then he reached out to grasp my hand and pull me towards the dance floor. His large hand was warm and soft, exactly the kind of hand to hold. Where the warmth would've comforted most people, it made me feel a bit sick and uneasy. Those unwanted feelings only increased as Travis gently grasped my waist and waited for me to place my hands on his shoulders.

"You never did introduce me," Travis's smooth, deep voice pulled me away from the twisting in my stomach. "What's your boyfriend's name?"

It took me a moment to figure out who he was talking about. "Oh, you mean the D- John?"

"Dijon?"

"No, um, John," I mumbled. "It's John Smith, and he's not my boyfriend."

This brought a grin to his devilishly handsome face. "Then I've still got a chance."

"Travis," I bit my lip. I didn't want to hurt the poor guy. Travis was amazing, and he deserved to be happy, but he couldn't be happy with me because _I_ couldn't be happy with _him_. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," He interrupted, turning his head to avoid my eyes. "No chance. Figured it out a while ago, I just like to remain optimistic."

"Do you know why too, or should I explain that?"

He chuckled and shook his head, his hair falling gracefully in front of his eyes. "Figured that part out too," The small smile that had developed on his face fell. "Well, not really, Riley told me."

I nodded and looked down at our feet, feeling bad.

"I actually considered acting a bit more rude so I wouldn't remind you so much of your dad."

I chuckled. "You'd change your personality for me?" I joked, looking up at him through my lashes.

"Nope," He chuckled with me. "Hence why I didn't."

I smiled and gently patted his shoulder. "Promise you'll find someone that makes you happy?"

He grinned, flashing two rows of blindingly white teeth, and nodded. "Promise."

Feeling a bit more comfortable with Travis, we settled into a light bit of chatter about the weather, and eventually went our separate ways when the dance ended. As he moved towards a group of the bridesmaids, I went back to the Doctor, who was standing with Ian. Morgan had wandered away from the edge of the dance floor to the bar for another one of her favorite flavor of Mike's.

As I approached, the Doctor offered me a smile and looked like he was going to say something, but Ian got there first. "You look beautiful, Cat." He smiled at me boyishly, running his hand through his hair.

I smiled at him, blushing slightly at the compliment. "Thanks,"

"I still think the glasses are sexy…" The Doctor mumbled as he reached up to tug at his earlobe.

Of course, this compliment had even more of an effect on me than Ian's had. The slight blush increased to another one of those things that feels like flames are burning across your body. Once more, I owed the dim lighting for sparing me another moment of extreme embarrassment.

"Space Doctor, Space Doctor!"

I grinned as I heard Nicky's odd nickname for the Doctor. I'd grown rather fond of it, actually.

"Chicken Dance!" I couldn't help but chuckle as my nephew and the Doctor started squealing and ran over to the dance floor. Together, the two started moving their arms and backsides to the song, grinning from ear to ear. Seeing those grins, I couldn't help but to mimic them.

* * *

><p>As the night progressed, a few people left claiming that they had to work in the morning. I knew that wasn't really the case, and that they were actually leaving because they'd gotten bored, but whatever. I knew Riley never let her parties <em>actually<em> start until well into the night because that removed all of the party-poopers. Their loss, right?

Anyways, Riley and Dave had been talking with their parents for the last half hour, the Doctor and Nicky were still dancing, and Travis was in a corner with a few girls. To be honest, I was slightly offended by how quickly he got over me. Moving past that, I was left with Stephanie. Alexis had been forcefully removed by a group of policemen, claiming that she 'didn't have it' and that she was 'innocent.'

"Who's… that guy?" Stephanie pointed at someone behind me, someone I hadn't met yet. "Do you think the puppy-dog look would work on him?"

As I looked at the guy, I figured that Stephanie was _way_ past the legal limit. Not only was she slurring her words and tripping on everything when she stood, the guy she was staring at was at least sixty. Probably one of Riley's uncles or something.

"I don't know, Stephanie, why don't you go find out?"

She turned to me and grinned, a devilish glint in her eyes. "Don't wait up." Then, she got to her feet and sloppily sauntered over to the old man.

I watched with my eyebrows in the middle of my forehead. I didn't think she'd actually do it.

"Cat," I turned around to find Riley staring at the same spectacle I had been. "Why is Stephanie hitting on my step-grandpa?"

I glanced back at her, looked up at Riley, and shrugged.

"Well, I think that's the best answer, anyways." She smiled and dropped herself onto the chair Stephanie had been occupying. "I saw you dancing with Travis earlier."

I grabbed the plastic cup full of Dr. Pepper that was on the table next to me and took a sip. "And?"

"Well, what happened?"

"Nothing, we just talked."

"About…"

I rolled my eyes. "We're good, okay? He's moved on."

She smirked and glanced at him, flirting in the corner with all of those tall, beautiful women. "I'd say."

Once more, my eyes rolled in their sockets, and I looked away from her towards the two goofballs on the dance floor. They were much more interesting than Travis's newfound love of flirting.

"Why aren't you dancing with them?"

I glanced at Riley out of the corner of my eye, caught that worried and curious look, and sighed. Sometimes, she was too much of a sweetheart. "I just don't feel like it."

"Oh, _now_ I see. You're afraid you'll embarrass yourself in front of that hunky, British-like alien."

I blushed fifteen shades of red, and shook my head furiously. "No, I'm just tired."

"Cat, if he can do _that_," She gestured at the Doctor, who was shaking his arms in front of him like he was having a seizure. "I think you're allowed to trip over yourself a few times."

"They're having so much fun, I don't want to butt in." I tried one more excuse.

She just shook her head and sat back, crossing her legs in the decently short dress. "Say whatever you want, but you know I'm right."

I bit my lip and watched the boys for a few minutes more. I don't think either of them had stopped grinning at any point during this night. It seemed that Nicky was becoming more like the Doctor with every second he was around him. It made me happy, knowing that my nephew had such a good role model.

"He's pretty great with kids," Riley said after a few moments of silence. "Do you think he'd consider babysitting when Dave and I get to that stage?"

"I don't think he'll be around long enough for that." I sighed. "But, if he is, I'm sure he'd happily do it."

"He better be!" She yelped, attracting the attention of a few quiet partygoers. "Seriously, I'm beginning to think you'd fall apart without him."

"I functioned before he was here, I'll still function after."

"That's a lie if I ever heard one."

"Riley, I'll be fine, don't worry."

She shot me a look, and then got to her feet, using her hands to smooth out the creases in her beautiful white dress. "Do me a favor and go dance with them." It wasn't a question or a suggestion, it was a command. I swear, I live in the communistic country of Riley O'Connor (now Foxe, I suppose).

Sighing, I took a final sip of my Dr. Pepper and got to my feet. I followed Riley's example and smoothed the folds in my tan, knee-length dress. After taking a deep breath to calm the butterflies that had just started to settle in my stomach, I started towards the two. Neither of them noticed me until I was but a few feet away, and though that scared me at first, I was comforted when they both grabbed me and pulled me into their little group when they _did_ realize I was there.

I didn't know why, but we were dancing in a circle with our hands connected. It was kind of uncomfortable, seeing as Nicky was so short and the Doctor was so tall, but I managed. In no time, I was grinning just as they were. We were skipping and sliding, and even jumping here and there. I hadn't had that much fun in a long time, and I decided to love the Doctor for every moment of it.

"To be honest, I'm kind of glad she's gone," I mumbled, pulling my legs up and beneath me. "I wasn't appreciating all of the flashbacks to high school."

"Now, Catherine, that's not very nice," The Doctor chuckled.

"She was a bit of a bitch." Riley agreed with me.

We were talking about Stephanie, who had been carted out of here just as Alexis had before her. However, this time, someone needed to be removed due to almost raping an old man. I felt bad for Riley's step-grandpa…

"You two are horrible."

"Oh, don't pretend that you're never rude," I gently kicked one of his long legs, causing him to roll his gorgeous brown eyes.

"Girls," I sneered at the distinct nasal voice that suddenly erupted from behind me. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes, mother," Riley replied obediently, as she always did to her witch of a mom.

Mrs. O'Connor smiled (though it looked a bit painful) down at me. "Catherine, you as well?"

I nodded stiffly, trying to ignore the instinct to punch her, or call her a mean name or something.

"And you," She looked to the Doctor, that same pain-filled smile curling her already horrible features. "I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Beatrice O'Connor, Riley's mother." She stuck out her hand, and the Doctor cautiously reached forward to take it.

"John Smith."

"A friend of David's?"

"No, no, Catherine's."

And boom! The Doctor was on her bad side. I really should've warned him before we came.

"Then I'm afraid you shouldn't be here, friends and family of the bride and groom only." She sneered at him, removing her hand and wiping it on her jacket, as if he had some sort of germs.

"He is," I defended, a frown creasing my face. "We all saw a movie together."

"I hardly call that being an acquaintance, much less a friend!" She cackled, pushing her pointy chin into the air and crossing her bony arms. "I insist that he leaves."

"Mother!" Riley yelped.

"Sweetheart, be quiet and behave. It's your wedding, after all."

"Yes, it is my wedding, therefore I will not 'be quiet and behave'!" She got to her feet, folding her arms and moving to stand in front of the Doctor. "I'm sick of you deciding everything about my life! The… John is a friend of Cat's, and therefore a friend of mine. Now, I insist that _you_ leave."

Mrs. O'Connor stared at her daughter with wide eyes, obviously shocked that, after so many years of listening and being obedient, she was taking a stand. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it before anything could come out, and repeated this several times before Riley said something again.

"I said leave."

Finally managing to pull herself together, Mrs. O'Connor sneered. "Don't expect me to pay for any of this."

"She doesn't need you for that," I said. "I can pay for everything."

"Thank you, Cat," Riley turned and smiled at me, and the frowned back at her mother. "You can go now."

Flustered, Mrs. O'Connor spun on her heel and started away from us. "Alex, we're leaving!"

Out of the crowd of people, Mr. O'Connor stepped towards his wife, but did not follow her to the door. He stood, shaking his head at his wife. I'd always liked him, and not just because he preferred it if I called him by his first name. He was nice, and was the voice of reason of the O'Connor family.

"I'll have Dave drive me home after the party." By now, everyone was silent and watching the scene unfold, so he didn't have to talk very loud.

Mrs. O'Connor glared, and then puffed her chest and stormed out.

I smiled and turned to the Doctor and Riley. "Highlight of my night!"

* * *

><p>"Thanks, Dave," I said through the window of his car, looking past Alex, who was in the front seat with him.<p>

He smiled and shook his head. "Just make sure you're parking in a legal spot next time,"

I nodded, and waved as they rolled up the window and drove away from the curb. Then, I turned to irritably face the Doctor. He was the one who parked it in that illegal parking spot, so it was his fault. "I can't believe they towed my baby." I frowned at him. "You're paying for me to get it out of the impound lot."

He grinned cheekily. "No money, sorry."

"Of course you don't have any money, you're an alien who travels in time and space using a big, blue box… I should've figured…"

He chuckled. "C'mon, I'm sure my old girl feels a bit neglected." He grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards my front door, and I felt a spark go through my entire body. And then I looked past my house.

And I saw a bright, blue flash of light.

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><p><strong>AN: Alright, I'm in a bit of a hurry, but I needed to get this up, so this is all I'm gonna write. The next chapter will be up Thursday, and the final part of the story up on Saturday.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	17. November 9th, 1988

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

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><p>"Hurry up!" I yelped at the Doctor, roughly pulling him behind me. I threw the small amount of things I was carrying onto the couch, and then tugged him towards the sliding door.<p>

"Catherine, settle down." His smooth voice echoed in my mind.

Normally, I would've listened to him, but not this time. I'd seen something, a light of some kind, and he hadn't. That shade of blue had set off a surge of emotions, and I knew where it had come from. However, the Doctor denied that any such light existed.

My throat was dry from apprehension when we finally _did_ make it outside. Something had happened to the TARDIS, and I wanted to know what it was. The Doctor still thought I was crackers, but I knew what I saw, and I'd seen a TARDIS blue flash of light.

Although I was slightly afraid that my iron grip might break a few bones in his arm, I pulled him through the yard and only released him when we reached the TARDIS. It was in the same exact spot we had left it, and nothing seemed to have changed. There were no lights, nothing to pull attention to it. I'm not the sort of person to doubt myself, but I was starting to get a little curious as to whether something had _actually_ been there or if I'd just dreamed it up.

My foot started tapping anxiously as he took his time digging his TARDIS key out of his pocket. "Can you hurry, please?"

"Oi, keep your trousers on!"

"You're being tedious on purpose!" I whined.

He grinned, but focused on the lock. "Just building you up so I can tear you down."

Finally, he allowed the door to open. Shooting him a scowl, I sped through the doors and looked around, noting anything I didn't recognize. I didn't note much. Really, all I saw was an unfamiliar book on the white chair-things, and that could've been there all morning.

As normal, the floor buzzed warmly beneath me, inviting me further into the domed room. I listened and took several steps, but I also noticed that it was stronger this time. A bit more vibrant, if I may. She was normally happy when I visited, but this time she seemed ecstatic. Like she had something exciting she needed to tell me, but couldn't find the words to say it.

"I told you so." I jumped when I heard the Doctor's voice in my ear. He'd stepped up behind me, a cocky smirk on his face and his hands buried deep in his pockets. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"I'm not blind, Doctor," I frowned at him.

"Pretty close, though."

I opened my mouth to answer back with a witty retort (not really, I was just going to repeat the 'I'm not blind' statement), but froze when I felt a sort of tug in my head. It felt like someone had painlessly removed my skull without my notice and was busy at work poking my brain. I decided to call it a headache of sorts, and went to say what I'd meant to come out of my mouth the first time. "I know what I saw, and that light was TARDIS blue."

He gently gripped my bare shoulders, and my stomach clenched at the feeling of skin-to-skin contact. "You're just tired."

"Why won't you just believe me?" I protested, shaking his hands away after a moment of hesitation. I didn't want to lose that warmth.

"Because there's nothing to believe!" He exclaimed. "The TARDIS can't just shoot out random lights!"

With this, he threw himself into a lecture about how the TARDIS couldn't shoot lights. As he spoke, I felt that tug at my brain again. I tried to drown it out, just as I'd done before. However, the more I tried to get rid of it, the stronger it became. The sensation had grown too intense to ignore, and it was only getting worse. I was losing all feeling in my limbs, and I couldn't focus on anything. The Doctor's voice was drowned out of my mind, and the gentle prodding led my eyes to the pink lips in front of me, still moving rapidly to try and make their point. I don't know why, and I don't know how, but the poking in my mind led me to do something I never would've done on my own.

I reached out, grasped handfuls of his lapels, and kissed him.

As soon as our lips touched, the prodding stopped, and I had control again. Before you could say 'hot', I'd jumped away from him and covered my mouth. For a few moments that seemed to stretch and I could've sworn were actually a few hours, we just started at each other. His eyes were wide with surprise, and his shoulders slightly hunched. I had a feeling I looked somewhat similar. We both started directly into the other's eyes, completely still.

"I'm sorry!" I yelped through my hands, taking several steps away. Finally, I turned and ran from the time machine.

I heard him call my name as I made my way onto the grass and ran through the open sliding door. His voice echoed several times, but I needed a moment. So, as I ran through my house and towards my room, I ignored my clenching heart and eventually slammed my bedroom door behind me.

My mind started racing as I dropped myself onto my bed. Had I really done that? _Why_ had I done that? Not that I regretted doing it. Well, most of me did, but a part of me couldn't stop thinking about his lips. They'd been slightly rough and chapped, but warm and comforting at the same time. I wouldn't really have minded kissing him again.

At that thought, my heart throbbed, and I came to a conclusion.

I loved him.

I'd known that I liked him, and that I was physically attracted to him, but love had never even seemed an option. I hadn't realized it, but I'd even been trying to _keep myself_ from falling in love with him. He was strictly unavailable.

I sighed and cradled my head in my hands, trying to sort out my thoughts. I wasn't really succeeding, as everything was still a jumble two minutes later, when my heart started pounding at the sound of his voice.

"Catherine, TARDIS, now!" He yelped through the thick mahogany of my door. His voice was loose, far past joyful.

Good, he wasn't angry. Maybe he felt the same? Highly improbable, but a girl could dream, right?

So, I got to my feet and cautiously made my way back downstairs. He'd left the sliding door open on his way out, and I made sure to shut it this time. I was blaming him for my AC bill this summer.

He'd left the TARDIS door open for me, and I couldn't stop myself from taking a deep breath before going inside. However, I hadn't really needed it. When I entered, he was too busy dancing around to notice I was there.

He spun around the glowing Console several times before he caught my eyes glued to him, and then he grinned. "Catherine, look!" He yelped, slamming his hand down on a lever with a red handle. "She's working!"

My first initial reaction was joy, which I believed was normal and only added to my love theory. The emotion that followed, less strong though more persistent, was grief. The TARDIS was working again, and he could leave. As I'd always assumed, he wouldn't have any problem leaving me behind. _I'd_ miss _him_ more than ever, though.

I pushed a smile to the surface. "That's great…"

"More than great, this is brilliant!" He yelped, spinning and dancing around the Console again. "I wonder what did it, why she all of a sudden- Are you alright?"

I was slightly confused for a moment, but then felt a salty liquid slip past my lips. "Oh…" I mumbled, reaching up to rub the tears away. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He looked at me through his eyelashes, a serious look on his gorgeous face. "Catherine, what's wrong?"

I smiled falsely again. "I'll just miss you, that's all."

He took a slow step towards me. "Well, you'll get on, right?" He smiled falsely now. "It's not like it'll be the end of the world."

_Maybe not yours, but probably mine_. I thought, nodding in fake agreement.

"You know," He started, looking down at the controls as his right hand fiddled with some sort of dial. "The TARDIS is a time machine, which means she knows exactly what will happen, when it will happen, and where it will happen. Maybe, at this specific time and place, she saw us."

My brow furrowed. I understood what he was saying, but _why_ he was saying it was still a mystery.

"Come with me, Catherine."

My heart leapt into my throat, and I opened my mouth to reply with a 'yes'. However, I stopped myself, and made a decision to give him the correct answer.

"No."

He looked surprised, but eventually looked away from me again. "Oh, alright, um, 'course…" He mumbled. I almost could've sworn that I'd seen a faint blush coming to his cheeks. "I just thought that you… wanted to."

Guilt seeped into my being, and I frowned. "I do, but you said that you couldn't take me, and I assume there's a reason."

"It's part of a… rule," He said, staring me in the eye. "One I'd be willing to break."

I shook my head. "No."

He stared at me sadly for a moment, and then nodded, his brown hair bouncing. He looked completely serious. "Alright, if that's what you want."

I nodded. "I'll just leave you to it, then." I turned to leave, but he stopped me once more.

"One trip," He called. "There's just one place I wanna take you."

I turned to face him again, and examined his face. He'd told me the story of Martha, and how it had all started out as 'one trip' for her, too. "Only one."

He nodded and grinned at me, his eyes crinkling around the edges. "Only one." With that, he hit a button, and everything started shaking.

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><p>My mind spun as I gripped the cold metal railing, the shaking of the TARDIS causing the butterflies in my stomach to buzz around and jab violently at my insides. The minute it has sprung upon me, I'd fallen in love with this feeling of excitement and impossibility. The magnificence of it all was mind blowing. In fact, I was extremely disappointed when I'd remembered that I'd be going home after this.<p>

Suddenly, the TARDIS made a last jerk, tossing me to the metal grating in the process, and remained still. I started to wonder if that's how she was supposed to fly, or if the Doctor was just in fact a _terrible_ pilot.

"Here we are!" He yelped, faking joy very well, as he flipped a lever and then reached down to help me to my feet. "Just a quick stop."

I nodded, and smiled when he latched onto my hand and pulled me towards the white wooden doors, grabbing his overcoat from the nearest support-beam on the way. With a single shove, the doors were open, and we stepped out onto a seemingly normal street. I was guessing it was late October, if we were still in Minnesota that is. The road was paved poorly, the few road signs scratched and bent, and the people slumped as they walked. Upon closer inspection, I realized that I recognized the fashions of the time, although I hadn't really worn them myself. Oddly patterned skinny-jeans, big hair, and brightly colored jackets.

"Doctor, is this the 80's?" I asked, looking up at the tall man.

He sneered and nodded. "The dented era!"

Ignoring that statement, I blinked. "Why?"

The sneer faded and was replaced by a knowing smile. He shook his head and pulled me down the street, shutting the doors of the TARDIS with his trainer-clad foot.

As we walked, huddled together against the chilly air, I examined my surroundings. Lots of things seemed familiar, but where'd I'd seen them before I had no clue. We eventually found ourselves at the bottom of a large stone staircase, which led to a magnificent church of the same material. Once more, I got the feeling of recognition.

"Why are we here?" I asked as I ripped my gaze from the church.

He sighed. "November 9th, 1988." He mumbled, squeezing my hand tightly as he stared at the beautiful stained-glass windows. "You said you didn't remember."

I suddenly understood why everything had a sense of familiarity. This was the place I'd grown up.

"Really?" I asked against the rough lump in my throat.

He nodded down at me. "We can go in, if you want."

I slowly nodded in return, and we started up the steps. Due to my lack of muscle, my legs started burning halfway up, but I didn't notice. I was too focused on what was inside that church. When we reached the door, my eyes shot past all of the people dressed in black and rested on the casket near the altar.

We slowly and quietly made our way past the benches that several people sat on, tears streaming down their puffy red faces. Finally, we found ourselves at the head of the room, looking down at the wooden box that my father would never rise from.

I took a shallow deep breath. "We had to keep the casket closed." I mumbled against the oncoming tears. "He looked horrible. Apparently, the plane left a lot of shrapnel."

The Doctor reassuringly wrapped his arm around my shoulders as I reached out and gently touched the cold, shiny wood.

"I'm probably running around here somewhere without any idea of what's happened…" My eyes stung and my voice was coarse, but I chuckled against it anyways. As another wave of emotion collapsed on me, I reached up and rubbed my eyes behind my glasses, my hand coming away covered in moisture. "Can we go now?"

With a nod he released my shoulders and guided me gently back outside, silent all the way. We stopped as we reached the bottom of the stone steps, and I instantly pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you." I mumbled roughly against his chest, his arms encircling me tightly in order to return the hug.

I felt him gently press his lips against the top of my head. "You're welcome."

Keeping that gentle memory in my mind, I stepped back and wiped my eyes once more before grabbing his hand again. "Time to go home."

His eyes darkened a few shades and the gentle smile that had been on his face fell, but he eventually nodded and we started back to the TARDIS. Neither of us walked very fast. We wanted to spend as much time together as we could before I was back home and he was zooming about time and space. I wondered if he'd miss me. I knew he wouldn't come back, but I'd be happy to just rest at the back of his brilliant mind.

In the time it took for me to absorb the fact that these were the last few minutes I'd be able to spend with my magnificent Doctor, we'd reached the TARDIS. He immediately put us into flight, and I took my time admiring the beauty of the ship. She hummed as I gently stroked the edge of the Console, and I wondered if she'd seen this too. The sad end to a most wonderful story.

"Ooh…" The Doctor mumbled, his brow furrowing and mixing with the sadness in the features.

"What's 'ooh'?"

"She doesn't want to leave you behind," He mumbled, stroking any random part of the ship he could get his thin hands on. "I'm not the only one that's gonna miss you." My heart fluttered, and I hardly noticed when the ship started shaking again.

Just as before, we landed with a jolt. I didn't fall that time! Albeit rather clumsy at times, I could definitely hold my own on my feet.

After realizing what that jolt meant, where we were, I decided that I hated it. It had been fun and surprising at first, but now it was just a reality check. The final reality check I'd be getting before I finally lost this wonderful, odd man that I'd come to love.

I took a deep breath, and blinked rapidly as I stared down at me feet. "This is it, then."

He nodded, staring at and fiddling with the controls, the blue light flooding his features.

"Felt like it would never end for a while."

He just nodded again.

For a few long and awkward moments, I waited for him to say something, or to hug me like life depended on it. But he didn't move. He was stone, just as he'd been around Adam or when he talked about the rest of his dead race. It was then that I realized that I didn't want him to say goodbye.

"See you." I choked on my words as I turned to leave it. I was several steps out the doors and away from the blue box when I heard his voice again.

"Hold on, just," He threw the doors wide open and held his hands out. "Just, wait here for a moment. Just a tick. I'll be right back." With that, he disappeared again. After several moments of standing in the light of the rising sun (he must have brought us back a few hours after we originally left) he reappeared. "Here." He mumbled as he threw a warm, silver chain around my neck.

"What is this?" I asked as I gingerly held up the key that was hanging from the chain and examined it.

"TARDIS key."

My eyes flashed to his solemn face and I pulled the chain from my neck. "Doctor, we've been over this," I mumbled as I held it out. "I'm not-"

"I know." He interrupted, grabbing the dangling chain and setting it in my palm, wrapping my fingers tightly around it. "I still want you to have it." He smiled gently, but it didn't reach his eyes. "That key is an extension of the TARDIS, which is an extension of me… sort of." My heart leaped at that thoughtful idea.

I nodded slowly, and draped the chain around my neck once more. My heart was pounding in my chest. This key was a thoughtful, and I daresay romantic gift.

"I'm not gonna say goodbye, you know." He mumbled, pulling me out of my reverie.

I smiled sadly. "Me neither."

We shared a look, and then he pulled me into a tight hug. As his arms encircled me, I buried my face in his collar bone and reached around him to return the embrace. Neither of us said anything, both of us having a general idea of what the other was thinking and knowing that words would ruin the moment.

Pressing my cheek against his lapel, I finally spoke. "You should probably go."

He tenderly rubbed my back. "Right, yeah, I should… I should leave." He strained to speak as he pushed me away. "I could always, y'know… pop by for a visit, every now and then."

I was touched that he didn't want to go. To be honest, I didn't want him to go either. But I had a whole life ahead of me. So many choices and mistakes to make, more connections to form. However, I could hardly call that a life if I lived only for him to "pop by for a visit".

So, my decision made, I shook my head. "Best not," I mumbled, smiling up at him gently.

"Right then," I could tell by his voice and eyes that he was shocked and even a little insulted that I had said no. "I'm off." He spun on his heel and I rolled my eyes.

"Hey!" I yelped as I reached out and grasped a handful of his overcoat, making him turn and face me with that sad look on his face. Seeing that look, it took all of my willpower to pull even a pert fake smile to my own face. "I'll miss you…"

As soon as the words had escaped my lips, his eyes shone and a tiny smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The tiny smile twitched, and he nodded before turning again. With my last three words echoing through my mind, I watched him disappear through the blue doors. When the tails of his overcoat were finally out of sight and the doors were shut, I felt a lump rise in my throat.

As a strange whirring sound I immediately worked to memorize erupted from the little blue box, a sudden wind blew on my face and it started to fade in and out of sight. After only seconds, it was gone, and the only sign it had ever been there was a light, dead patch of grass in the middle of my lawn.

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><p><strong>AN: Alright, this is it. That was the end of the actual story. There's still the epilogue, but that's rather short and not exactly necessary. I mostly wrote it because I felt this didn't have enough closure. Well, that and I really didn't want it to end. Then I got into the sequel, and I moved on. I didn't forget! No, I love it all the same.**

**Christmas is slowly closing in on us. I'll admit, I'm very excited. Not really for the presents, but more for the family. A lot of my dad's side lives out of state, and they all come here for Christmas. If you think I'm odd (which I'm sure you do), you should meet my cousin. He's a blast, even though he has no life. Yeah, he has about five hundred movies... in alphabetical order... Yup, that kind of no life. And, even though he's in his late twenties, he still lives with his parents. Anyways, really off topic!**

**So, I'll be back on Saturday, I think. Christmas Break starts today, so I'm planning on doing quite a bit of writing in the next week and a half. **

**Hope you all enjoyed, I love you!**

**Jazmine**

**PS**

**I was looking at my stats yesterday, and this is my most successful story. I just want to thank you all for sticking through it, and making this story as popular as it is... even though that's not much. Still, more than I hoped for. Thank you all so much!  
><strong>


	18. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I own everything else used in this epilogue.**

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><p><strong>8 Months Later<strong>

We were all crammed around my kitchen table. I only had four chairs, so most of us had to stand. I would've rather stood and let one of my guests take my chair, but they'd all insisted that I should take my favorite seat. Riley took one of the other chairs, though that was because she needed it more than everyone else. My mom sat in the one across from me because she was considered 'old' among the group. Finally, Nicky sat in the last chair. Not really because he needed it, but because everyone loved him so much they gave him what he wanted.

Each one of us had a glass of champagne. I didn't normally drink, but we were celebrating tonight. The only exceptions to the champagne were Nicky and Riley. Nicky, obviously, was underage, and Riley was seven months pregnant. Those two got apple juice instead.

"Sorry I'm late!"

I looked over my shoulder at my door as it slammed shut behind Chris.

I'd met Chris a few months ago at the publishing company. He'd been looking for an author to publicize, and I'd been looked for a publicist to work for me. We worked well together, and eventually developed a mutual friendship behind our work relationship. Tonight was one of the nights that we mixed both.

Chris grinned at me and held up a dull brown box, a red ribbon wrapped around it. "Ready?"

I nodded and held my hands out for the package. I'd been waiting for this for the past six months, and it was hard to believe that the moment was finally here. He set it in my hands and I turned around to set it on the table. Slowly, I pulled the ribbon from the box and pulled the cover off, marveling at what was inside.

Before me, wrapped in white-fluffy-stuff, was my book. The cover was everything I'd been hoping it would be with my name in large black letters at the bottom. The white background was perfected by the blue Police Box that sat in the middle of it. Every detail was exact to the one that had sat in my back yard for two weeks once upon a time.

For five years I'd worked on a book about finding your purpose in life, and it had never really gotten anywhere. This book, however, actually meant something to me. Recorded on these pages was the story of the Doctor and me. I'd started writing it about a week after he'd left, when I was really bored and kind of lonely. I'd just meant for it to be for fun and stress-relief, but it became something more as I got into it. I know this sounds cheesy, but I felt a connection to the story, and I wasn't just going to drop it.

So, I worked harder on it. Eventually, I had a plot lined up. In the story, a closed-minded author named Rose Noble meets her new neighbor, a historian by the name of John Smith, when he accidentally kicks his 'football' over her back fence. They eventually get to know each other, and he shows her his antique British police box, a project he was restoring for the local museum. The police box was in ruins, and Rose believes it impossible to fix, but John proves her wrong. Throughout the story, they get closer, and eventually fall in love. They don't admit it, and then, when the box is finished and fixed, John has to go back to London. Rose catches up to him at the airport, goes with him, and they live happily ever after.

Yes, I know, it's been done before, and it's rather cheesy. I'll admit that I'm a hopeless closet romantic, and I wanted them to have the amazing ending I wasn't lucky enough to get. To be honest, it made me feel good to allow them to be happy together.

"What d'you think?" Chris asked, leaning over my shoulder with a smile.

I smiled and took a deep breath. "It's perfect," I looked at him. "Thank you."

He nodded and took a step back. Then, everyone leaned over to get a look at the cover. It puzzled most people, but Riley and Dave both flashed me knowing smiles.

"It's on shelves tomorrow." Chris announced to the group. "Just saying."

I chuckled and took a sip of my champagne, keeping my eyes glued to my book.

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><p>Everyone had left by now, and I was alone once more. Balloons sat all over, a few taped to my walls, but everything else was relatively clean. There were a few cups here and there, but I doubted it would take any longer than half an hour to clean up. I wasn't going to do it tonight, though. I still had so many things I needed to get straight in my head.<p>

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, pushing it out of my eyes as I looked down at the book in my hands. I'd been waiting for everyone to leave so I could look at what I'd wanted to look at for the past few hours without getting any questions from my family.

I flipped the cover open, along with the first few pages, to find the dedication page. It read:

_Dedicated to _my_ Doctor, my inspiration and my hero_

He said he'd read my book, but had he read this one, or another one? Had he changed time by just meeting me? I highly doubted it, but it was still possible. I just hoped he eventually read the dedication page, and found out that it was for him.

I sighed and grabbed the chain around my neck, pulling the TARDIS key out of my shirt. I wore it every day, no matter where I was going or who I was seeing. It made me feel a little bit closer to everything , whether that be a person or even my surroundings.

Another sigh passed through my lips and I set the book on the table before standing and turning to go to bed. What I didn't see was the dark figure standing outside the sliding door leading to my backyard, all of its body shaded, save for the grey sneakers that peeked into the light and the hands that shimmered and glowed gold in the darkness.

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><p><strong>AN: And so is the completion of Stuck! It's short, but it _is_ an epilogue, so that's sort of expected. Well, sometimes. Well, with me. What'd you all think of Cat's book? Clever of me? Not so much? Needs a bit more work to make it passable? Great just the way it is? I honestly have no clue. I don't even know what the story she was writing before she wrote that was really about. She said it was about finding your purpose, but beyond that I have no idea what was happening. **

**Anyways, what'd you think of that last sentence? You all got it, didn't you? I assumed that you would. You're all just too smart to not understand it. **

**So, I'll post the prologue for the sequel tomorrow, and the first chapter on Christmas. Probably sometime in the morning, while I'm waiting for everyone else to wake up. Yes, that'll be a good way to spend those few hours where no one else wants to move. **

**I suppose a final thank you and mentioning is in order. I'd like to thank all of you for giving this young author a chance. I'd also like to thank my beta Sam and my dear friend Spirit-of-the-Rain for reading it over and making sure everything was correct and nothing was too sappy. Another thank you to all of my friends and family for the support in my writing. Finally, another thank you to you guys, my readers. You have no idea how many times you've saved me. From what, you ask? Well... everything. Annnnnnd queue the dramatic ending! Yes, I really should have someone read these over before I post them. This is getting sappy.**

**Thanks for reading! I love you guys!**

**Jazmine  
><strong>


	19. NOTICE

**Hello, my lovely readers!**

**Alright, so, this is just a notice! I have posted the sequel! Yes, it's up, and I feel very odd about it. Y'know, that sort of feeling you get when you make a major accomplishment. Yeah, that feeling.**

**Anyways, just a quick notice, telling you all that it's here. Hopefully you all go at least give it a chance! **

**I was going to give you a link, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. So, I'll just tell you all the title instead. Here it is:**

**A Thousand Years**

**I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, **_**VERY**_** MUCH! **

**Jazmine**


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